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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: temple · staff · field · drill · arm · rush · rock · wound

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. staff — employees
  4. staff — a stick
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. field — for sport
  7. wound — an injury
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. rock — a stone
  10. wound — an injury
  11. field — farmland
  12. rush — hurry
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. drill — the tool
  15. drill — a practice
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. staff — employees
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. drill — army training
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. field — a subject
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. rock — music

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