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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: spell · pop · temple · mine · fine · wound · bank · squash

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. mine — for digging
  3. pop — soda
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. spell — a short time
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. spell — letters
  9. pop — music
  10. fine — all right
  11. bank — for money
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. wound — an injury
  14. bank — for money
  15. wound — an injury
  16. squash — the sport
  17. fine — high quality
  18. pop — to visit
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. spell — magic
  21. bank — of a river
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. squash — the vegetable

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