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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.

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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: tear · face · dip · cabinet · bank · temple · shower · firm

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. face — part of the head
  4. firm — steady
  5. shower — rain
  6. bank — of a river
  7. tear — from crying
  8. firm — a company
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. bank — for money
  12. face — to confront
  13. bank — for money
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. dip — to sink
  16. firm — decided
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. shower — to wash
  22. face — to point toward
  23. tear — from crying
  24. tear — to rip

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