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

Word bank: wind · club · object · deal · temple · pop · saw · bear

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. saw — the tool
  3. club — for dancing
  4. object — a thing
  5. object — to protest
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wind — moving air
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. object — an aim
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. club — a group
  13. pop — to visit
  14. bear — the animal
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. bear — the animal
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. club — for golf
  20. pop — music
  21. saw — the tool
  22. deal — to handle
  23. pop — soda
  24. temple — a place of worship

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