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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: bear · fall · bore · last · leaves · temple · trunk · ground

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. fall — to drop
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. bore — to drill
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. last — finally
  11. bear — the animal
  12. ground — a position
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. ground — the earth
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. last — to go on
  17. last — final
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. fall — to drop
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. bore — to tire
  22. ground — crushed
  23. fall — the season
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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