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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: fall · game · roll · fan · temple · bark · march · craft

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. fall — to drop
  4. march — the month
  5. roll — a list
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. march — the month
  10. bark — to shout
  11. craft — a skill
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. game — wild animals
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. fall — to drop
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. craft — boats
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. march — music
  21. roll — a cake
  22. fall — the season
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. temple — side of the head

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