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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 · bore · pound · sharp · spell · row · temple · can

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. rest — a break
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. rest — what's left
  5. spell — a short time
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. can — a tin
  8. sharp — clever
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. row — a line
  12. pound — a weight
  13. bore — to drill
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. rest — what's left
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. bore — to tire
  19. row — to paddle
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. spell — letters
  23. can — to be able to
  24. spell — magic

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