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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
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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: march · date · track · spell · trunk · temple · field · toast

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. spell — letters
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. march — the month
  8. field — farmland
  9. toast — bread
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. field — a subject
  14. date — the fruit
  15. march — the month
  16. field — for sport
  17. track — to keep track
  18. march — music
  19. spell — magic
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. track — a path
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. track — a song
  24. spell — a short time

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