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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: temple · branch · field · rush · track · bore · arm · file

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. branch — a division
  3. bore — to drill
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. field — a subject
  7. track — a song
  8. track — to keep track
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. track — a path
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. field — for sport
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. field — farmland
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. file — a line of people
  20. bore — to tire
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. rush — hurry
  23. file — a document
  24. file — a tool

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