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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: object · last · rest · temple · land · wave · cold · wound

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. wound — an injury
  4. last — final
  5. last — finally
  6. wound — an injury
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. rest — what's left
  9. object — a thing
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. object — an aim
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. rest — a break
  17. land — ground
  18. object — to protest
  19. rest — what's left
  20. cold — an illness
  21. last — to go on
  22. cold — not warm
  23. land — a country
  24. land — to come down

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