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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.

Make a worksheet

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: bulb · bowl · rush · temple · field · cell · game · root

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  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. rush — a thrill
  2. field — a subject
  3. cell — in biology
  4. cell — a phone
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. field — for sport
  7. rush — hurry
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bulb — for light
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. game — a match
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. root — the cause
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. game — wild animals
  21. root — of a word
  22. root — of a plant
  23. field — farmland
  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