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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: land · bowl · temple · plane · coach · branch · field · race

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. field — farmland
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. branch — a division
  8. land — ground
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. race — the arms race
  11. plane — a tool
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. field — for sport
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. land — a country
  19. field — a subject
  20. land — to come down
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. race — a contest
  23. race — humankind
  24. bowl — a football final

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