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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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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: rash · perch · deal · nail · mine · temple · cell · chest

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. cell — a phone
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. mine — for digging
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. chest — a box
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. rash — hasty
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. chest — of your body
  15. chest — of your body
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. deal — to handle
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. cell — in biology
  21. rash — a series
  22. perch — the fish
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. cell — in a prison

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