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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 · nail · chest · tube · temple · press · stock · cell

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. field — a subject
  3. press — to push
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. tube — the underground
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. chest — a box
  9. press — newspapers
  10. stock — shares
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. press — a publisher
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. field — for sport
  17. tube — a container
  18. stock — goods
  19. field — farmland
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. chest — of your body
  22. cell — in biology
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. cell — a phone

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