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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: dip · hand · temple · rash · spring · jam · wound · last

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. dip — to sink
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. hand — in cards
  10. rash — a series
  11. hand — help
  12. last — to go on
  13. spring — of water
  14. last — finally
  15. spring — the season
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. wound — an injury
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. spring — a coil
  20. last — final
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. dip — to dunk
  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