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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: temple · leaves · march · ball · ground · fan · field · stand

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. field — farmland
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. ground — crushed
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. ground — the earth
  10. field — a subject
  11. march — the month
  12. stand — to bear
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. field — for sport
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. ball — a dance
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. march — music
  20. ball — a great time
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. march — the month
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. leaves — to go away

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com