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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 · deal · last · march · ground · temple · tear · clip

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. ground — a position
  3. clip — for paper
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. march — music
  7. lean — to bend
  8. tear — to rip
  9. ground — crushed
  10. march — the month
  11. ground — the earth
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. tear — from crying
  14. last — to go on
  15. lean — thin
  16. tear — from crying
  17. march — the month
  18. last — finally
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. clip — a video
  21. last — final
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. clip — to cut

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