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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: stand · field · chest · temple · wound · tube · lash · cabinet

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. field — a subject
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. stand — to bear
  6. tube — the underground
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. field — for sport
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. chest — of your body
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. chest — a box
  19. field — farmland
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. chest — of your body
  22. tube — a container
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. wound — an injury

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