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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: hand · fall · spell · temple · last · fan · lash · mate

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. mate — a friend
  5. mate — to breed
  6. spell — letters
  7. hand — in cards
  8. hand — help
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. last — final
  12. last — to go on
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. fall — to drop
  18. fall — the season
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. mate — a partner
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. last — finally
  23. spell — magic
  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