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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
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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: temple · mark · hide · march · fan · spell · hand · track

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. mark — a trace
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. mark — a grade
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. track — a song
  7. track — to keep track
  8. hand — help
  9. spell — letters
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. spell — a short time
  12. spell — magic
  13. march — the month
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. hand — in cards
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. track — a path
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. march — the month
  23. march — music
  24. hide — animal skin

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