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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: temple · bowl · rush · root · pass · hand · fork · fan

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. root — the cause
  5. pass — a permit
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. root — of a plant
  8. hand — help
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. hand — in cards
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. root — of a word
  21. fork — in a road
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. rush — hurry

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