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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: tear · lie · cell · roll · bear · ground · temple · staff

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. tear — to rip
  4. bear — the animal
  5. tear — from crying
  6. staff — employees
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. ground — crushed
  10. roll — a list
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. lie — to recline
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. staff — employees
  15. staff — a stick
  16. ground — the earth
  17. cell — a phone
  18. ground — a position
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. roll — a cake
  21. bear — the animal
  22. tear — from crying
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. cell — in biology

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