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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: spring · cue · land · stick · season · chip · temple · shower

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. spring — the season
  5. chip — to eat
  6. season — of the year
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. cue — a signal
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. chip — for betting
  13. cue — for pool
  14. cue — a hint
  15. shower — rain
  16. shower — to wash
  17. land — ground
  18. season — in sport
  19. spring — of water
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. land — a country
  23. land — to come down
  24. spring — a coil

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