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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: root · present · mine · date · temple · roll · field · ball

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. ball — a great time
  3. present — the time now
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. present — there
  7. roll — a list
  8. field — farmland
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. ball — a dance
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. field — a subject
  14. date — the fruit
  15. root — of a word
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. root — the cause
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. mine — for digging
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. roll — a cake
  23. root — of a plant
  24. field — for sport

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