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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: field · band · vault · branch · temple · tube · mine · spell

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. field — farmland
  3. spell — a short time
  4. spell — letters
  5. field — a subject
  6. field — for sport
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. vault — a safe
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. spell — magic
  11. mine — for digging
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. branch — a division
  14. band — a ring
  15. tube — the underground
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. band — a music group
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. tube — a container
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. branch — of a bank

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