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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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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: craft · pitcher · dip · stand · temple · rule · fall · wound

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. dip — to sink
  3. rule — government
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. stand — to bear
  6. fall — to drop
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. craft — boats
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. fall — the season
  12. wound — an injury
  13. craft — a skill
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. rule — a law
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. wound — an injury
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. fall — to drop
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. stand — for spectators

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