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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: swing · temple · tube · spell · fall · game · pound · net

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. fall — the season
  3. game — wild animals
  4. spell — letters
  5. fall — to drop
  6. fall — to drop
  7. net — in sport
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. net — after costs
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. swing — to play on
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. tube — a container
  15. swing — in golf
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. pound — a weight
  18. tube — the underground
  19. spell — a short time
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. net — for catching
  22. swing — music
  23. game — a match
  24. pound — for dogs

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