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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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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: club · squash · toast · dip · tear · staff · temple · wound

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. tear — from crying
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. club — for golf
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. tear — from crying
  9. staff — employees
  10. squash — the sport
  11. club — for dancing
  12. squash — to crush
  13. staff — a stick
  14. staff — employees
  15. toast — bread
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. wound — an injury
  19. club — a group
  20. tear — to rip
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. dip — to sink
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. wound — an injury

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