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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. roll — a cake
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. row — to paddle
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. roll — a list
  10. wind — moving air
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. bank — for money
  15. wind — moving air
  16. bank — of a river
  17. date — the fruit
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. row — a line
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. bank — for money

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