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

Word bank: cold · temple · wake · land · fork · ruler · mark · perch

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. cold — an illness
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. perch — the fish
  9. mark — a trace
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. land — a country
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. wake — a trail
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. fork — in a road
  16. mark — a grade
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. land — to come down
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. cold — not warm
  22. land — ground
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. temple — side of the head

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