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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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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: jam · temple · rash · tear · plane · squash · kick · row

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. rash — a series
  5. kick — in football
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. tear — from crying
  8. plane — a tool
  9. row — a line
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. squash — to crush
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. squash — the sport
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. rash — hasty
  17. tear — from crying
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. row — to paddle
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. tear — to rip

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