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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: temple · present · rule · spring · straw · wind

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. spring — of water
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. spring — the season
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. rule — government
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. wind — moving air
  13. present — a gift
  14. present — there
  15. wind — moving air
  16. present — the time now
  17. spring — a coil
  18. rule — to rule out

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