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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: bound · season · toast · shower · lie · land · temple · rash

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. rash — hasty
  4. bound — obliged
  5. land — a country
  6. land — ground
  7. shower — to wash
  8. rash — a series
  9. toast — bread
  10. land — to come down
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. season — of the year
  16. bound — certain
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. shower — rain
  19. bound — tied together
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. lie — to recline
  22. season — in sport
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. toast — the most admired

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