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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: row · track · temple · rash · tear · ruler · wind · face

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. wind — moving air
  4. track — to keep track
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. tear — to rip
  10. face — to confront
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. tear — from crying
  13. face — part of the head
  14. face — to point toward
  15. row — a line
  16. track — a song
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. rash — a series
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. track — a path
  21. wind — moving air
  22. rash — hasty
  23. tear — from crying
  24. row — to paddle

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