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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: wind · bore · jam · temple · club · perch · mark · spring

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. wind — moving air
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. bore — to tire
  5. spring — of water
  6. wind — moving air
  7. spring — a coil
  8. spring — the season
  9. mark — a trace
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. club — for dancing
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. perch — the fish
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. club — for golf
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. club — a group
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. mark — a grade
  24. temple — a place of worship

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