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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: land · plane · clip · ball · temple · hide · coach · cabinet

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. plane — a tool
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. land — to come down
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. ball — a dance
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. ball — a great time
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. land — a country
  17. land — ground
  18. clip — to cut
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. clip — for paper
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. clip — a video
  24. coach — a trainer

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