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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 120 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: cold · kick · field · row · spell · tube · pass · temple

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. tube — a container
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. tube — the underground
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. row — a line
  9. spell — letters
  10. pass — a permit
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. kick — in football
  13. row — to paddle
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. spell — magic
  16. spell — a short time
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. cold — not warm
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. cold — an illness
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. field — for sport
  24. field — farmland

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