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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 · bank · row · land · mark · can · season

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. season — of the year
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. mark — a grade
  6. bank — for money
  7. field — farmland
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. can — a tin
  10. season — in sport
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. land — to come down
  13. bank — of a river
  14. bank — for money
  15. mark — a trace
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. land — a country
  18. can — to be able to
  19. field — a subject
  20. field — for sport
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. row — to paddle
  23. land — ground
  24. row — a line

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