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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: saw · cold · cap · sharp · bank · row · season · temple

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. cap — of ice
  5. bank — for money
  6. row — a line
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. cap — a hat
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. row — to paddle
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. bank — for money
  17. sharp — clever
  18. cold — an illness
  19. saw — the tool
  20. cold — not warm
  21. cap — a lid
  22. season — of the year
  23. saw — the tool
  24. season — in sport

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