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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: season · temple · pitcher · file · land · fine · stand · pound

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. stand — to bear
  4. file — a line of people
  5. pound — a weight
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. fine — all right
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. land — to come down
  14. file — a document
  15. season — of the year
  16. fine — high quality
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. season — in sport
  21. land — ground
  22. file — a tool
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. pitcher — a jug

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