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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: kid · bay · temple · club · saw · stem · squash · wound

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. club — for dancing
  3. saw — the tool
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. squash — to crush
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. club — for golf
  12. kid — to tease
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. wound — an injury
  16. club — a group
  17. saw — the tool
  18. stem — to come from
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. squash — the sport
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. stem — of a plant

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