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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.

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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: spring · dip · temple · club · degree · lash · squash · bowl

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. club — for dancing
  3. spring — the season
  4. degree — an amount
  5. club — for golf
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. club — a group
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. degree — temperature
  15. spring — a coil
  16. dip — to sink
  17. spring — of water
  18. squash — to crush
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. squash — the sport
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. degree — from a university
  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