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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: cell · bound · spell · capital · bear · temple · rush · mouse

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  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. cell — in biology
  2. cell — a phone
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. capital — money
  5. bound — obliged
  6. bound — certain
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. spell — a short time
  9. spell — magic
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bound — tied together
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. rush — hurry
  21. spell — letters
  22. capital — a city
  23. capital — a big letter
  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