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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bowl · temple · pound · rest · deal · calf

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. rest — what's left
  8. rest — a break
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. pound — a weight
  11. rest — what's left
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. deal — to handle
  18. calf — a young animal

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