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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. mine — for digging
  3. spring — the season
  4. spring — a coil
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. spring — of water
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. tube — the underground
  11. tube — a container
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. stock — goods
  15. stock — shares
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. shower — to wash
  18. club — a group
  19. club — for golf
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. shower — rain
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. club — for dancing

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