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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mark · perch · last · spring · temple · capital · toast · plane

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. spring — of water
  3. capital — a city
  4. perch — the fish
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. capital — money
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. last — to go on
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. mark — a trace
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. plane — a tool
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. toast — bread
  18. last — final
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. last — finally
  21. mark — a grade
  22. spring — a coil
  23. spring — the season
  24. perch — for a bird

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