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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: hide · rock · shower · bass · season · temple · fall · toast

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. fall — to drop
  3. bass — the fish
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. rock — music
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. shower — to wash
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. bass — low music
  12. shower — rain
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. toast — bread
  16. season — of the year
  17. fall — to drop
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. season — in sport
  22. rock — a stone
  23. fall — the season
  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