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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: spell · bowl · temple · fine · fan · wake · object · ground

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. object — an aim
  3. object — to protest
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. wake — a trail
  6. ground — a position
  7. fine — high quality
  8. spell — letters
  9. object — a thing
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. ground — the earth
  13. fine — all right
  14. spell — magic
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. ground — crushed
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. spell — a short time
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. fine — a penalty

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