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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 120 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: spring · trunk · foot · suit · last · temple · game · fall

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  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. fall — to drop
  2. suit — clothes
  3. last — to go on
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. last — final
  6. last — finally
  7. game — wild animals
  8. suit — to fit
  9. foot — a measure
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. fall — the season
  12. spring — the season
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. fall — to drop
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. suit — in cards
  17. spring — of water
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. game — a match
  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