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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: chest · fan · temple · shower · mouse · coach · bear · kid

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. chest — a box
  4. shower — rain
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. shower — to wash
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. bear — the animal
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. bear — the animal
  16. kid — child
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chest — of your body
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. mouse — the animal

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