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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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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 · pitcher · tube · field · lash · rule · shower · bound

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. field — a subject
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. rule — a law
  6. rule — government
  7. field — for sport
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. shower — to wash
  10. bound — certain
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. shower — rain
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. tube — the underground
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. bound — obliged
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. tube — a container
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. field — farmland

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