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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: root · spring · mate · temple · bound · lie · last · face

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. last — finally
  3. spring — the season
  4. bound — certain
  5. mate — to breed
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. bound — tied together
  9. spring — of water
  10. root — of a plant
  11. face — to point toward
  12. mate — a partner
  13. spring — a coil
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. mate — a friend
  16. face — to confront
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. bound — obliged
  19. root — the cause
  20. lie — to recline
  21. last — to go on
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. face — part of the head
  24. last — final

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