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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: hand · foot · file · wake · squash · tube · stock · temple

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  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. temple — a place of worship
  2. foot — a measure
  3. stock — shares
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. squash — to crush
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. stock — goods
  8. file — a line of people
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. tube — the underground
  12. tube — a container
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. file — a tool
  16. squash — the sport
  17. file — a document
  18. hand — in cards
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. wake — a trail
  21. hand — help
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. stock — a soup base
  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