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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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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: kid · pop · bank · bound · face · temple · wake · rest

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. wake — a trail
  4. rest — a break
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. bank — for money
  10. kid — to tease
  11. pop — to visit
  12. bound — certain
  13. face — to confront
  14. face — to point toward
  15. bound — tied together
  16. bound — obliged
  17. pop — soda
  18. bank — for money
  19. rest — what's left
  20. bank — of a river
  21. pop — music
  22. kid — child
  23. rest — what's left
  24. face — part 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