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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 120 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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. ground — crushed
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. spring — the season
  6. net — for catching
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. last — final
  9. last — to go on
  10. net — in sport
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. wax — to grow
  13. last — finally
  14. ground — the earth
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. spring — a coil
  19. ground — a position
  20. spring — of water
  21. net — after costs
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. wax — for sculpting

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