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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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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. land — ground
  3. land — to come down
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. bank — for money
  7. bank — for money
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. cap — of ice
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. cap — a lid
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. prune — to trim
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wound — an injury
  18. land — a country
  19. bank — of a river
  20. foot — a measure
  21. cap — a hat
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. prune — to trim

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