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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · stock · hand · spell · temple · safe · club · season

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. stock — shares
  5. hand — help
  6. hand — in cards
  7. spell — a short time
  8. season — in sport
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. season — of the year
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. spell — letters
  14. club — for golf
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. club — a group
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. stock — goods
  21. shower — to wash
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. club — for dancing
  24. shower — rain

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