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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 124 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: stand · temple · field · bank · march · pop · land · snap

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. field — for sport
  3. march — the month
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. pop — to visit
  6. march — the month
  7. land — a country
  8. field — a subject
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. field — farmland
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. pop — music
  13. bank — for money
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. bank — for money
  17. pop — soda
  18. land — to come down
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. stand — to bear
  22. march — music
  23. snap — to click
  24. bank — of a river

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