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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. wind — moving air
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. can — to be able to
  5. wind — moving air
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. tube — the underground
  8. swing — music
  9. can — a tin
  10. spring — a coil
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. tube — a container
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. spring — of water
  15. can — a tin
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. spring — the season
  18. court — of a king
  19. plane — a tool
  20. swing — to play on
  21. court — for sport
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. court — of law
  24. swing — in golf

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