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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: field · bass · track · foot · trunk · temple · wound · cell

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. field — farmland
  5. track — a path
  6. wound — an injury
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. cell — a phone
  9. field — a subject
  10. cell — in biology
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. track — to keep track
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. track — a song
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. bass — the fish
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. wound — an injury
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. bass — low music
  24. field — for sport

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