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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: field · face · wind · temple · rest · date · rush · bulb

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. date — the fruit
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. rest — what's left
  7. bulb — for light
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. wind — moving air
  14. face — to confront
  15. face — to point toward
  16. field — a subject
  17. rest — a break
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. wind — moving air
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. field — farmland
  22. rush — hurry
  23. face — part of the head
  24. rest — what's left

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