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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: tube · mine · deal · temple · perch · wound · rule · coach

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. wound — an injury
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. rule — government
  8. tube — the underground
  9. deal — to handle
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. tube — a container
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. rule — a law
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. mine — for digging
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. wound — an injury
  24. perch — the fish

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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