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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: shower · kid · bear · bound · temple · ball · season · deal

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. bound — obliged
  4. bear — the animal
  5. bound — tied together
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. season — of the year
  11. bound — certain
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. kid — child
  14. bear — the animal
  15. ball — a dance
  16. season — in sport
  17. ball — a great time
  18. shower — rain
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. kid — to tease
  22. shower — to wash
  23. deal — to handle
  24. season — to add flavour

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