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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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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: key · temple · cold · tear · ruler · bear

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. bear — the animal
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. key — for a lock
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. key — the most important part
  9. bear — the animal
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. tear — to rip
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. tear — from crying
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. cold — not warm
  16. cold — an illness
  17. tear — from crying
  18. ruler — for measuring

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