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

Word bank: wave · temple · cap · drill · deal · pound

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. cap — of ice
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. drill — a practice
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. deal — to handle
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. cap — a hat
  11. cap — a lid
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. pound — a weight
  15. drill — the tool
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. drill — army training
  18. deal — an agreement

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