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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. wax — to grow
  5. last — to go on
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. spring — a coil
  8. plane — a tool
  9. mate — to breed
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. mate — a partner
  15. last — finally
  16. bulb — for light
  17. spring — of water
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. last — final
  20. field — a subject
  21. field — farmland
  22. field — for sport
  23. mate — a friend
  24. bulb — for light

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