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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: temple · bat · plane · fork · pop · straw · land · last

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. pop — music
  3. plane — a tool
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. land — ground
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. fork — in a road
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. last — finally
  15. pop — soda
  16. last — to go on
  17. bat — the animal
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. land — a country
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. land — to come down
  24. last — final

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