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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: pop · temple · field · press · bear · march · pitcher · stand

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. field — a subject
  3. field — farmland
  4. pop — soda
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. stand — to bear
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. bear — the animal
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. press — newspapers
  11. march — the month
  12. pop — to visit
  13. pop — music
  14. press — a publisher
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. bear — the animal
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. march — music
  21. press — to push
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. march — the month

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