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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: spring · bay · row · bat · foot · temple · rock · wound

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. foot — a measure
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. spring — the season
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. wound — an injury
  13. rock — a stone
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. row — to paddle
  19. spring — a coil
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. spring — of water
  22. wound — an injury
  23. bat — the animal
  24. rock — music

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