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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: saw · net · lean · cold · season · temple · fall · mug

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. net — in sport
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. net — for catching
  5. mug — a face
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. cold — not warm
  9. saw — the tool
  10. net — after costs
  11. mug — a cup
  12. lean — thin
  13. fall — to drop
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. saw — the tool
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. mug — to rob
  18. season — of the year
  19. season — in sport
  20. lean — to bend
  21. cold — an illness
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. fall — the season
  24. lean — to rest against

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