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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 · fork · field · bass · can · chest · lash · safe

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. chest — of your body
  3. field — a subject
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. bass — the fish
  6. can — a tin
  7. field — farmland
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. field — for sport
  10. chest — a box
  11. chest — of your body
  12. can — a tin
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. fork — in a road
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. bass — low music
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. can — to be able to
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. temple — side of the head

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