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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  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. temple — a place of worship
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. craft — boats
  6. craft — a skill
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. tube — the underground
  9. object — to protest
  10. tube — a container
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. capital — money
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. perch — the fish
  18. object — an aim
  19. capital — a city
  20. object — a thing
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. rush — hurry
  23. rush — to hurry
  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