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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: roll · wave · club · temple · mine · racket · content · shower

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. club — for dancing
  7. content — happy
  8. shower — rain
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. roll — a list
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. content — the amount
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. roll — a cake
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. club — a group
  19. shower — to wash
  20. club — for golf
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. mine — for digging

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