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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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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 · mine · bowl · cap · rock · temple · track · straw

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. track — to keep track
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. fall — to drop
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. fall — the season
  13. mine — for digging
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. track — a path
  17. track — a song
  18. rock — a stone
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. rock — music
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. cap — of ice
  23. cap — a lid
  24. cap — a hat

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