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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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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: board · fall · ground · mate · pound · temple · tear · racket

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. fall — to drop
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. board — a committee
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. pound — a weight
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. mate — a friend
  10. fall — to drop
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. ground — a position
  14. tear — to rip
  15. ground — crushed
  16. board — to get on
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. tear — from crying
  19. mate — to breed
  20. ground — the earth
  21. fall — the season
  22. mate — a partner
  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