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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 120 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: fork · cap · lie · current · row · spell · kid · temple

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. spell — magic
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. row — to paddle
  5. kid — child
  6. spell — letters
  7. cap — a hat
  8. fork — in a road
  9. current — of water
  10. cap — a lid
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. current — electric
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. current — happening now
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. cap — of ice
  21. kid — to tease
  22. spell — a short time
  23. row — a line
  24. lie — to recline

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