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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 120 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: bark · race · field · foot · lie · temple · rock · patient

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. lie — to recline
  5. field — for sport
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. field — a subject
  12. race — a contest
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. race — the arms race
  15. race — humankind
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. bark — to shout
  20. rock — a stone
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. foot — a measure
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. rock — music

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