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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 · board · field · wind · mark · swing · row · nail

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. field — a subject
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. mark — a trace
  5. wind — moving air
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. wind — moving air
  8. board — a committee
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. mark — a grade
  14. swing — music
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. field — for sport
  17. board — to get on
  18. field — farmland
  19. swing — in golf
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. row — a line
  22. row — to paddle
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. swing — to play on

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