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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: fork · rash · temple · clip · perch · squash · club · root

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. root — of a plant
  3. clip — to cut
  4. club — for golf
  5. club — a group
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. club — for dancing
  8. fork — in a road
  9. perch — the fish
  10. root — the cause
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. clip — a video
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. clip — for paper
  16. rash — hasty
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. root — of a word
  20. rash — a series
  21. squash — the sport
  22. squash — to crush
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. fork — a garden tool

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