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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: nail · field · temple · staff · band · chest · rash · bound

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. chest — a box
  3. bound — certain
  4. staff — employees
  5. band — a ring
  6. field — for sport
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. chest — of your body
  10. rash — hasty
  11. band — a music group
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. field — a subject
  14. rash — a series
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. staff — a stick
  18. bound — tied together
  19. field — farmland
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. bound — obliged
  23. staff — employees
  24. chest — of your body

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