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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 120 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: temple · band · stand · bound · net · field · pop · kid

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. field — for sport
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. band — a music group
  5. bound — certain
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. pop — to visit
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. pop — music
  12. stand — to bear
  13. kid — child
  14. net — after costs
  15. band — a ring
  16. field — farmland
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. field — a subject
  19. bound — tied together
  20. bound — obliged
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. kid — to tease
  23. net — for catching
  24. pop — soda

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