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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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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: field · cell · trunk · bowl · stand · temple · rest · mark

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. stand — to bear
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. mark — a grade
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. cell — a phone
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. rest — a break
  14. rest — what's left
  15. rest — what's left
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. field — a subject
  18. mark — a trace
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. cell — in biology
  22. field — for sport
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. mark — to pay attention

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