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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: swing · pound · mine · key · leaves · temple · land · cabinet

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. key — in music
  3. pound — a weight
  4. land — a country
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. key — for a lock
  7. mine — for digging
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. land — to come down
  11. key — the most important part
  12. swing — to play on
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. land — ground
  18. swing — music
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. swing — in golf
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. temple — a place of worship

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