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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: field · race · chair · bound · plane · rock · temple · stock

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. plane — a tool
  4. stock — goods
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. stock — shares
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. field — farmland
  10. bound — certain
  11. bound — tied together
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. field — a subject
  14. race — humankind
  15. bound — obliged
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. race — a contest
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. race — the arms race
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. rock — a stone
  22. field — for sport
  23. chair — a leader
  24. rock — music

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