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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: jam · mate · dip · temple · tear · club · wound · kick

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. wound — an injury
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. club — for dancing
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. tear — to rip
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. dip — to sink
  11. tear — from crying
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. kick — in football
  14. mate — a friend
  15. wound — an injury
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. mate — to breed
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. club — for golf
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. club — a group
  24. mate — a partner

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