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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: perch · fall · present · temple · spell · dip · land · fork

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. land — to come down
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. spell — letters
  7. spell — magic
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. present — a gift
  10. fall — to drop
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. land — a country
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. present — there
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. present — the time now
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. fall — the season
  20. dip — to sink
  21. perch — the fish
  22. fork — in a road
  23. fall — to drop
  24. spell — a short time

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