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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 · land · board · field · tear · foot · cabinet · coach

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. board — a committee
  3. land — ground
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. tear — from crying
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. land — a country
  9. land — to come down
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. tear — to rip
  12. board — to get on
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. field — for sport
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. field — farmland
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. field — a subject
  24. foot — a measure

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