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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: last · bass · shower · content · spell · suit · temple · lean

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. bass — the fish
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. lean — thin
  6. spell — a short time
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. suit — to fit
  9. bass — low music
  10. spell — magic
  11. last — finally
  12. shower — rain
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. content — happy
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. shower — to wash
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. last — to go on
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. suit — in cards
  21. last — final
  22. lean — to bend
  23. suit — clothes
  24. content — the amount

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