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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: temple · bear · date · land · fall · nail · saw · tube

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. tube — the underground
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. land — ground
  6. land — to come down
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. bear — the animal
  11. land — a country
  12. saw — the tool
  13. date — the fruit
  14. saw — the tool
  15. tube — a container
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. bear — the animal
  22. fall — the season
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. fall — to drop

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