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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: lie · craft · temple · ground · bound · cold · rock · pitcher

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. bound — certain
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. cold — an illness
  6. ground — a position
  7. craft — boats
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. ground — the earth
  10. bound — tied together
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. rock — music
  13. lie — to recline
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. bound — obliged
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. ground — crushed
  18. craft — a skill
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. cold — not warm
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. rock — a stone

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