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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 120 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: cell · can · temple · court · wound · degree · fall · bear

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. fall — to drop
  3. can — to be able to
  4. cell — a phone
  5. court — of a king
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. fall — the season
  8. bear — the animal
  9. fall — to drop
  10. wound — an injury
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. cell — in biology
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. degree — from a university
  16. bear — the animal
  17. degree — temperature
  18. can — a tin
  19. court — of law
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. wound — an injury
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. degree — an amount
  24. court — for sport

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