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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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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 · snap · chair · jam · leaves · wave · rule · temple

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. field — a subject
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. field — for sport
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. chair — a leader
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. rule — a law
  13. field — farmland
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. rule — government
  18. snap — to click
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. temple — a place of worship

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