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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 120 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
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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: lash · spell · temple · dip · kid · ground · straw · rush

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. ground — crushed
  3. spell — letters
  4. kid — child
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. spell — a short time
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. dip — to sink
  10. ground — a position
  11. ground — the earth
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. rush — hurry
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. kid — to tease
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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