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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 · field · land · ball · rash · arm · saw · wound

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. saw — the tool
  4. field — for sport
  5. ball — a dance
  6. saw — the tool
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. rash — a series
  9. wound — an injury
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. field — farmland
  13. rash — hasty
  14. field — a subject
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. land — ground
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. ball — a great time
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. wound — an injury
  24. land — a country

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