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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: current · temple · field · mug · wound · chest · pitcher · rest

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. chest — of your body
  3. field — farmland
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. chest — of your body
  7. rest — a break
  8. rest — what's left
  9. chest — a box
  10. rest — what's left
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. current — of water
  13. current — happening now
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. field — a subject
  17. mug — a face
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. current — electric
  22. mug — a cup
  23. wound — an injury
  24. mug — to rob

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