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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. bank — for money
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. bank — for money
  8. spell — a short time
  9. prune — to trim
  10. spell — magic
  11. saw — the tool
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. shower — to wash
  14. hand — in cards
  15. prune — to trim
  16. saw — the tool
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. spell — letters
  19. bank — of a river
  20. chest — of your body
  21. shower — rain
  22. chest — a box
  23. chest — of your body
  24. hand — part of the body

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