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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: plane · squash · club · temple · bound · stick · staff · mate

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. mate — a friend
  5. bound — certain
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. squash — to crush
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. bound — obliged
  13. mate — a partner
  14. bound — tied together
  15. mate — to breed
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. club — for golf
  18. club — a group
  19. club — for dancing
  20. squash — the sport
  21. staff — employees
  22. staff — employees
  23. staff — a stick
  24. plane — a 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