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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: pop · bore · cold · wound · temple · leaves · lie · cell

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. pop — to visit
  5. cold — not warm
  6. pop — soda
  7. bore — to tire
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. cell — in biology
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. bore — to drill
  13. wound — an injury
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. cell — a phone
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. wound — an injury
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. cold — an illness
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. pop — music
  24. lie — to recline

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