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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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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: bound · temple · firm · rock · tear · cold · wound · lie

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. bound — obliged
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. rock — a stone
  5. cold — not warm
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. wound — an injury
  8. lie — to recline
  9. cold — an illness
  10. tear — to rip
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. rock — music
  13. tear — from crying
  14. tear — from crying
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. wound — an injury
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. firm — a company
  19. bound — certain
  20. firm — steady
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. bound — tied together
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. firm — decided

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