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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: hand · saw · rest · temple · file · deal · land · bound

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. file — a line of people
  4. file — a tool
  5. file — a document
  6. hand — help
  7. hand — in cards
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. rest — a break
  10. bound — certain
  11. saw — the tool
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. bound — tied together
  14. rest — what's left
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. bound — obliged
  19. deal — to handle
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. land — a country
  22. saw — the tool
  23. land — ground
  24. land — to come down

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