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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: tear · straw · field · spell · temple · foot · shower · mug

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. field — a subject
  3. spell — magic
  4. tear — from crying
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. foot — a measure
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. mug — a face
  9. shower — rain
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. mug — to rob
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. shower — to wash
  14. field — for sport
  15. field — farmland
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. mug — a cup
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. spell — a short time
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. spell — letters
  23. tear — from crying
  24. tear — to rip

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