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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: spell · temple · chest · content · rock · bowl · march · trunk

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. chest — of your body
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. spell — letters
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. content — the amount
  8. march — the month
  9. rock — music
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. march — the month
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. march — music
  17. chest — a box
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. rock — a stone
  20. chest — of your body
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. content — happy
  24. spell — a short time

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