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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: bound · cell · toast · bear · wave · court · file · temple

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. court — for sport
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. bound — tied together
  6. court — of a king
  7. bound — certain
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. toast — bread
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. file — a tool
  13. cell — a phone
  14. bound — obliged
  15. bear — the animal
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. bear — the animal
  18. cell — in biology
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. file — a document
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. court — of law
  24. temple — side of the head

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