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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
468
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: squash · wound · net · wake · bank · chest · fine · temple

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. chest — a box
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. net — after costs
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wake — a trail
  10. fine — high quality
  11. chest — of your body
  12. net — in sport
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. fine — all right
  15. squash — the sport
  16. squash — to crush
  17. bank — of a river
  18. bank — for money
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. bank — for money
  21. wound — an injury
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. chest — of your body
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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