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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. spring — the season
  4. spell — a short time
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. foot — a measure
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. spring — of water
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. lie — to recline
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. sharp — clever
  20. spell — magic
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. spell — letters
  24. fan — to cool the air

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