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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: temple · saw · bear · shower · wound · tube · firm · ball

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. saw — the tool
  3. saw — the tool
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. firm — decided
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. firm — steady
  12. wound — an injury
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. shower — rain
  15. firm — a company
  16. bear — the animal
  17. ball — a great time
  18. shower — to wash
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. wound — an injury
  21. tube — a container
  22. bear — the animal
  23. ball — a dance
  24. tube — the underground

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