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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: game · temple · hand · club · deal · fan · tear · root

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. club — a group
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. deal — to handle
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. tear — from crying
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. hand — help
  15. game — a match
  16. hand — in cards
  17. root — of a plant
  18. root — the cause
  19. root — of a word
  20. game — wild animals
  21. tear — from crying
  22. tear — to rip
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. club — for golf

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