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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 120 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: cold · tube · lean · saw · club · firm · bear · temple

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. saw — the tool
  3. bear — the animal
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. firm — decided
  6. club — for dancing
  7. tube — the underground
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. saw — the tool
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. bear — the animal
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. firm — a company
  15. tube — a container
  16. firm — steady
  17. club — for golf
  18. club — a group
  19. cold — not warm
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. lean — thin
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. lean — to bend
  24. lean — to rest against

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