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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: field · spell · temple · bass · rush · march · bark · mark

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. field — a subject
  3. rush — hurry
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. bass — low music
  6. march — the month
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. spell — letters
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. march — music
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. bark — to shout
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. spell — a short time
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. mark — a grade
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. bass — the fish
  20. spell — magic
  21. field — for sport
  22. mark — a trace
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. march — the month

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