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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: snap · temple · mine · season · bark · fall · mug · stand

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. mug — to rob
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. stand — to bear
  9. mug — a face
  10. season — of the year
  11. mug — a cup
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. mine — for digging
  15. bark — to shout
  16. season — in sport
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. fall — the season
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. fall — to drop
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. snap — to click

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