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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: lie · wake · cap · temple · tear · fork · plane · roll

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. tear — from crying
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. cap — a hat
  6. roll — a cake
  7. tear — to rip
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. tear — from crying
  10. wake — a trail
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. lie — to recline
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. roll — a list
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. cap — of ice
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. plane — a tool
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. cap — a lid
  24. lie — an untruth

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