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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: wake · land · cabinet · temple · cold · object · ruler · ground

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. object — an aim
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. land — to come down
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. object — a thing
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. ground — a position
  12. wake — a trail
  13. land — ground
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. cold — an illness
  17. cold — not warm
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. ground — crushed
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. land — a country
  23. ground — the earth
  24. object — to protest

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