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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: ball · temple · rush · stock · bark · field · file · foot

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. file — a document
  3. field — a subject
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. ball — a great time
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. file — a line of people
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. rush — hurry
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. file — a tool
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. field — farmland
  17. foot — a measure
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. ball — a dance
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. bark — to shout
  22. stock — goods
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. stock — shares

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