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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: leaves · straw · wax · spring · stand · temple · mine · last

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. mine — for digging
  3. spring — a coil
  4. last — final
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. last — finally
  8. stand — to bear
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. spring — the season
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. spring — of water
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. last — to go on
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. wax — to grow
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. leaves — lets stay

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