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

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. spring — the season
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. hand — help
  6. spring — a coil
  7. hand — in cards
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. squash — the sport
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. spell — a short time
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. spell — magic
  14. field — for sport
  15. spell — letters
  16. rush — hurry
  17. squash — to crush
  18. spring — of water
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. field — a subject
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. deal — to handle
  24. field — farmland

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