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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: lean · nail · fall · clip · bear · ball · jam · temple

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. lean — to bend
  4. ball — a great time
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. fall — to drop
  7. bear — the animal
  8. clip — for paper
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. ball — a dance
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. clip — a video
  13. lean — thin
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. clip — to cut
  20. bear — the animal
  21. fall — to drop
  22. fall — the season
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. nail — for a hammer

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