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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.

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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: pound · staff · net · rush · lean · wound · content · temple

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. rush — hurry
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. lean — thin
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. content — happy
  9. staff — a stick
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — an injury
  13. net — in sport
  14. content — the amount
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. lean — to bend
  17. net — after costs
  18. staff — employees
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. pound — a weight
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. staff — employees
  24. net — for catching

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