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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: fall · mug · stand · face · land · wake · rule · temple

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. face — to point toward
  3. fall — to drop
  4. wake — a trail
  5. fall — to drop
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. mug — a cup
  9. rule — a law
  10. land — ground
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. land — to come down
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. mug — to rob
  17. face — to confront
  18. rule — government
  19. face — part of the head
  20. stand — to bear
  21. mug — a face
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. land — a country
  24. fall — the season

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