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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: spring · fine · stand · wound · lie · field · ruler · temple

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. stand — to bear
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. field — for sport
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. fine — high quality
  9. fine — all right
  10. wound — an injury
  11. spring — a coil
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. field — a subject
  18. field — farmland
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. spring — of water
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. wound — an injury
  23. lie — to recline
  24. spring — the season

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