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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: drill · temple · mine · spring · lie · date · tube · pop

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. tube — a container
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. tube — the underground
  6. drill — army training
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. mine — for digging
  10. spring — the season
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. drill — a practice
  14. lie — to recline
  15. drill — the tool
  16. pop — music
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. pop — soda
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. date — the fruit
  21. spring — a coil
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. pop — to visit
  24. lie — an untruth

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