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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: row · bark · rash · squash · foot · deal · temple · mate

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. rash — hasty
  7. squash — the sport
  8. row — a line
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. deal — to handle
  12. rash — a series
  13. mate — to breed
  14. row — to paddle
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. squash — to crush
  18. mate — a friend
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. bark — to shout
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. mate — a partner
  23. foot — a measure
  24. squash — the vegetable

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