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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. spring — of water
  3. saw — the tool
  4. spring — the season
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. saw — the tool
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. court — of a king
  9. land — ground
  10. wax — to grow
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. spring — a coil
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. court — of law
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. spell — magic
  18. court — for sport
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. spell — a short time
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. land — to come down
  23. land — a country
  24. spell — letters

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