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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: rush · temple · spring · degree · stand · coach · field · present

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. spring — the season
  3. degree — temperature
  4. field — farmland
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. present — there
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. degree — an amount
  9. spring — a coil
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. field — for sport
  12. present — a gift
  13. present — the time now
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. degree — from a university
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. spring — of water
  21. field — a subject
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. rush — hurry
  24. stand — to bear

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