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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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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: bank · game · field · temple · file · stick · ruler · band

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. file — a document
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. band — a ring
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. game — wild animals
  7. bank — for money
  8. field — for sport
  9. band — a music group
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. file — a tool
  12. bank — of a river
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. bank — for money
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. game — a match
  19. file — a line of people
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. field — a subject
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. field — farmland
  24. ruler — for measuring

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