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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 120 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: pound · temple · perch · dip · racket · root · bore · season

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  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. temple — a place of worship
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. bore — to drill
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. dip — to sink
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. season — in sport
  11. root — the cause
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. bore — to tire
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. pound — a weight
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. perch — the fish
  20. root — of a plant
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. root — of a word
  23. season — of the year
  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