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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: bank · board · temple · date · drill · wake · pitcher · field

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. bank — for money
  5. board — to get on
  6. field — for sport
  7. drill — the tool
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. drill — army training
  10. bank — of a river
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. field — farmland
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. drill — a practice
  20. date — the fruit
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. field — a subject
  23. bank — for money
  24. wake — a trail

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