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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: fall · rule · temple · hand · bear · clip · season · board

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. clip — for paper
  7. clip — a video
  8. bear — the animal
  9. fall — to drop
  10. rule — government
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. board — a committee
  14. clip — to cut
  15. rule — a law
  16. board — to get on
  17. season — of the year
  18. bear — the animal
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. season — in sport
  21. hand — help
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. hand — in cards
  24. fall — the season

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