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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: temple · rest · march · wake · staff · cell · deal · pound

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. rest — what's left
  3. cell — a phone
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. staff — employees
  6. wake — a trail
  7. deal — to handle
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. pound — a weight
  11. march — the month
  12. staff — a stick
  13. march — the month
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. staff — employees
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. rest — what's left
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. march — music
  23. cell — in biology
  24. temple — side of the head

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