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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: mate · mine · wake · temple · game · saw · sharp · leaves

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. mate — to breed
  5. saw — the tool
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. sharp — clever
  9. mate — a friend
  10. game — a match
  11. mine — for digging
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. mate — a partner
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. saw — the tool
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. game — wild animals
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. mine — an explosive

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