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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. wind — moving air
  3. root — of a word
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. mine — for digging
  6. bore — to tire
  7. spring — of water
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. wind — moving air
  12. spring — the season
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. root — of a plant
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. bore — to drill
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. perch — the fish
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. spring — a coil
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. root — the cause
  24. perch — for a bird

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