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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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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: stand · temple · bound · pound · craft · cold · ground · face

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. pound — a weight
  3. stand — to bear
  4. ground — crushed
  5. face — part of the head
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. bound — tied together
  8. ground — the earth
  9. bound — obliged
  10. craft — a skill
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. craft — boats
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. cold — an illness
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. ground — a position
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. bound — certain
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. face — to confront
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. face — to point toward
  24. cold — not warm

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