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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: perch · pound · cap · tear · temple · mate

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. cap — a hat
  4. pound — a weight
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. tear — to rip
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. mate — a partner
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. mate — to breed
  13. tear — from crying
  14. tear — from crying
  15. cap — of ice
  16. mate — a friend
  17. cap — a lid
  18. pound — to hit hard

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