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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: dip · drill · tube · rash · perch · temple · deal · cold

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. drill — army training
  3. tube — the underground
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. perch — the fish
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. drill — a practice
  9. rash — a series
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. cold — an illness
  12. drill — the tool
  13. rash — hasty
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. dip — to sink
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. deal — to handle
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. tube — a container
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. deal — an agreement

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