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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: land · march · leaves · vault · mine · temple · shower · toast

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. land — a country
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. shower — rain
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. march — the month
  10. land — ground
  11. toast — bread
  12. march — the month
  13. shower — to wash
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. land — to come down
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. vault — a safe
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. march — music
  22. mine — for digging
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. temple — a place of worship

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