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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: kid · bank · spring · bat · dip · court · mine · temple

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. spring — the season
  4. court — of a king
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. court — for sport
  7. bank — for money
  8. kid — child
  9. spring — of water
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. bank — of a river
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. kid — to tease
  15. bank — for money
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. dip — to sink
  19. bat — the animal
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. spring — a coil
  22. mine — for digging
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. court — of law

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