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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: wound · scale · bank · wave · bowl · deal · temple · spring

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. spring — a coil
  3. spring — of water
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. bank — of a river
  6. scale — in music
  7. wound — an injury
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. bank — for money
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. bank — for money
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. scale — size or range
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. wound — an injury
  21. deal — to handle
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. spring — the season
  24. temple — side of the head

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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