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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: rest · spell · leaves · lean · temple · tube · rule · shower

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. shower — to wash
  4. rule — a law
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. lean — to bend
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. rest — a break
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. spell — letters
  13. spell — magic
  14. rest — what's left
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. tube — the underground
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. tube — a container
  20. rest — what's left
  21. spell — a short time
  22. rule — government
  23. shower — rain
  24. lean — thin

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