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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: tube · ruler · mark · temple · squash · hand · spring · wound

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. hand — help
  3. spring — the season
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. tube — a container
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. wound — an injury
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. squash — the sport
  13. hand — in cards
  14. mark — a trace
  15. mark — a grade
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. tube — the underground
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. spring — a coil
  22. squash — to crush
  23. spring — of water
  24. tube — in a tire

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