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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 120 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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. squash — to crush
  4. spring — a coil
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. saw — the tool
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. hand — in cards
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. tear — to rip
  13. spring — of water
  14. spring — the season
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. squash — the sport
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. tear — from crying
  22. tear — from crying
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. saw — the tool

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