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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: spell · tear · temple · lash · craft · wind

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. craft — boats
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. wind — moving air
  7. spell — letters
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. wind — moving air
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. tear — from crying
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. tear — to rip
  16. spell — magic
  17. spell — a short time
  18. craft — a skill

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