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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: toast · rush · fall · cabinet · temple · tear · cell · craft

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. craft — a skill
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. tear — from crying
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. fall — to drop
  10. cell — a phone
  11. rush — hurry
  12. fall — the season
  13. cell — in biology
  14. fall — to drop
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. tear — from crying
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. tear — to rip
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. craft — boats

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