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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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Word bank
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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 · land · pass · spring · dip · rush · key · present

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. land — ground
  3. spring — the season
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. dip — to sink
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. land — to come down
  8. key — in music
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. key — the most important part
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. spring — a coil
  15. land — a country
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. spring — of water
  18. rush — hurry
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. present — there
  21. present — a gift
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. present — the time now
  24. pass — a permit

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