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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: stand · object · mate · dip · temple · mine · wind · cap

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. object — to protest
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. object — a thing
  5. mine — for digging
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. cap — of ice
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. wind — moving air
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. mate — to breed
  12. dip — to sink
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. object — an aim
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. mate — a friend
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. cap — a hat
  22. stand — to bear
  23. mate — a partner
  24. cap — a lid

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