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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: lean · game · temple · net · fall · club · wind · bear

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. bear — the animal
  4. wind — moving air
  5. bear — the animal
  6. fall — the season
  7. game — wild animals
  8. net — in sport
  9. net — after costs
  10. lean — to bend
  11. club — a group
  12. fall — to drop
  13. net — for catching
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. game — a match
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. club — for dancing
  20. club — for golf
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. wind — moving air
  23. lean — thin
  24. bear — to put up with

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