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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. spring — a coil
  4. prune — to trim
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. club — for golf
  7. bear — the animal
  8. spring — the season
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. mate — a friend
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. club — a group
  14. prune — to trim
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. club — for dancing
  17. mate — a partner
  18. mate — to breed
  19. bear — the animal
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. rush — hurry
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. spring — of water

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