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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: march · pop · file · temple · can · coach · cold · bear

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. file — a line of people
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. march — the month
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. bear — the animal
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. can — a tin
  10. march — the month
  11. pop — to visit
  12. can — to be able to
  13. can — a tin
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. pop — soda
  16. cold — not warm
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. file — a document
  20. march — music
  21. pop — music
  22. cold — an illness
  23. bear — the animal
  24. file — a tool

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