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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: spring · rash · field · bulb · temple · key · race · toast

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. field — for sport
  3. race — humankind
  4. race — the arms race
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. bulb — for light
  7. spring — a coil
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. key — the most important part
  10. key — in music
  11. rash — a series
  12. bulb — for light
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. spring — the season
  16. key — for a lock
  17. field — farmland
  18. field — a subject
  19. spring — of water
  20. rash — hasty
  21. toast — bread
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. race — a contest
  24. temple — side of the head

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