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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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468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. mine — for digging
  6. squash — to crush
  7. mug — a cup
  8. march — the month
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. squash — the sport
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. root — of a plant
  14. perch — the fish
  15. mug — a face
  16. root — of a word
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. march — the month
  19. root — the cause
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. march — music
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. lash — to lash out

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