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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
468
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 · drill · race · trunk · temple · patient · ball · band

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. drill — the tool
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. field — farmland
  9. race — the arms race
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. ball — a great time
  12. band — a ring
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. drill — a practice
  15. ball — a dance
  16. band — a music group
  17. race — humankind
  18. drill — army training
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. field — a subject
  22. field — for sport
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. patient — a sick person

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