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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: object · hand · foot · roll · temple · tear

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. foot — a measure
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. tear — to rip
  7. tear — from crying
  8. roll — a cake
  9. hand — in cards
  10. object — an aim
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. object — to protest
  15. hand — help
  16. roll — a list
  17. tear — from crying
  18. temple — side of the head

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