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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 120 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: file · temple · bear · cap · pound · fall · saw · march

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. file — a tool
  3. saw — the tool
  4. bear — the animal
  5. march — music
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. fall — to drop
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. fall — the season
  12. cap — of ice
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. pound — a weight
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. bear — the animal
  18. file — a line of people
  19. saw — the tool
  20. march — the month
  21. march — the month
  22. fall — to drop
  23. cap — a hat
  24. file — a document

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