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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: content · net · row · lean · rest · rock · mine · temple

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. lean — to bend
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. row — a line
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. rock — music
  7. net — in sport
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. rest — what's left
  12. rock — a stone
  13. lean — thin
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. content — the amount
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. mine — for digging
  18. rest — a break
  19. net — after costs
  20. content — happy
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. net — for catching
  24. row — to paddle

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