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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. bear — the animal
  4. last — final
  5. last — finally
  6. bass — low music
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. lie — to recline
  9. bass — the fish
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. shower — rain
  14. stand — to bear
  15. shower — to wash
  16. last — to go on
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. wound — an injury
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. wound — an injury
  24. bear — the animal

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