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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: temple · spell · mug · march · bulb · hand · pound · rule

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. rule — government
  3. march — the month
  4. march — music
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. spell — a short time
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. hand — help
  9. hand — in cards
  10. bulb — for light
  11. mug — a face
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. mug — to rob
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. pound — a weight
  16. bulb — for light
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. march — the month
  20. spell — magic
  21. mug — a cup
  22. spell — letters
  23. rule — a law
  24. pound — for dogs

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