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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. pass — a permit
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. spell — a short time
  5. spell — letters
  6. shower — rain
  7. band — a music group
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. file — a tool
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. bank — for money
  12. band — a ring
  13. file — a line of people
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. bank — of a river
  16. spell — magic
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. file — a document
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. shower — to wash
  22. bank — for money
  23. perch — the fish
  24. perch — for a bird

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