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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: row · temple · spring · board · kick · fan · tear · dip

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. board — a committee
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. row — a line
  7. row — to paddle
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. spring — a coil
  10. kick — in football
  11. tear — to rip
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. tear — from crying
  15. dip — to sink
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. tear — from crying
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. spring — the season
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. spring — of water
  24. temple — a place of worship

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