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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: cabinet · ground · temple · leaves · racket · coach · fall · tear

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. tear — from crying
  3. fall — to drop
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. ground — the earth
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. ground — a position
  14. tear — to rip
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. fall — the season
  18. ground — crushed
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. fall — to drop
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. tear — from crying

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