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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: roll · wound · squash · mug · temple · ground · shower · trunk

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. wound — an injury
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. ground — a position
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. mug — to rob
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. ground — crushed
  11. shower — rain
  12. roll — a list
  13. ground — the earth
  14. mug — a face
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. squash — to crush
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. mug — a cup
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. squash — the sport
  23. wound — an injury
  24. shower — to wash

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