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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 · field · temple · track · march · wind · file · saw

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. field — farmland
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. file — a tool
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. file — a line of people
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wind — moving air
  9. field — for sport
  10. saw — the tool
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. track — to keep track
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. march — the month
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. stand — to bear
  18. track — a song
  19. march — music
  20. file — a document
  21. track — a path
  22. field — a subject
  23. saw — the tool
  24. temple — a place of worship

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