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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.

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: bear · rock · object · land · march · nail · rest · temple

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. object — an aim
  3. land — ground
  4. rock — music
  5. rock — a stone
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. object — to protest
  8. march — the month
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. object — a thing
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. bear — the animal
  13. march — the month
  14. bear — the animal
  15. rest — what's left
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. march — music
  18. rest — what's left
  19. land — a country
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. rest — a break
  22. land — to come down
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. nail — for a hammer

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