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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: spring · leaves · row · field · track · temple · drill · cell

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. row — a line
  3. cell — a phone
  4. cell — in biology
  5. field — a subject
  6. drill — the tool
  7. track — to keep track
  8. spring — a coil
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. spring — the season
  12. row — to paddle
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. drill — a practice
  16. field — farmland
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. field — for sport
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. drill — army training
  22. track — a path
  23. spring — of water
  24. track — a song

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