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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: bound · toast · land · fall · wake · temple · ground · firm

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. bound — certain
  3. ground — the earth
  4. fall — to drop
  5. firm — a company
  6. bound — obliged
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. ground — crushed
  11. bound — tied together
  12. land — to come down
  13. fall — to drop
  14. wake — a trail
  15. land — ground
  16. firm — decided
  17. land — a country
  18. firm — steady
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. fall — the season
  21. ground — a position
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. toast — bread
  24. wake — before a funeral

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