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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.

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: stand · clip · rule · land · season · temple · dip · wake

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. clip — a video
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. land — to come down
  14. rule — a law
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. season — of the year
  17. wake — a trail
  18. land — ground
  19. season — in sport
  20. clip — to cut
  21. stand — to bear
  22. rule — government
  23. land — a country
  24. dip — to sink

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