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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: mouse · toast · bank · cold · pound · coach · content · temple

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. bank — for money
  4. content — happy
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. pound — a weight
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. cold — not warm
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. bank — of a river
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. toast — bread
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. content — the amount
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. bank — for money
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. content — videos and posts

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