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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: mug · bark · pass · temple · date · pitcher · tube · field

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. tube — the underground
  8. field — for sport
  9. mug — a cup
  10. mug — a face
  11. bark — to shout
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. date — the fruit
  14. tube — a container
  15. mug — to rob
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. field — farmland
  24. pass — a permit

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