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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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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 · fine · last · wind · tear · fork · board · field

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. tear — from crying
  5. last — final
  6. field — a subject
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. wind — moving air
  11. field — for sport
  12. tear — to rip
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. fine — high quality
  15. tear — from crying
  16. wind — moving air
  17. board — a committee
  18. last — to go on
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. board — to get on
  22. fork — in a road
  23. fine — all right
  24. field — farmland

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