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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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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: temple · spring · bass · cue · wave · swing · mate · race

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. cue — for pool
  3. mate — to breed
  4. mate — a partner
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. bass — the fish
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. spring — a coil
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. cue — a signal
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. bass — low music
  13. swing — in golf
  14. mate — a friend
  15. race — humankind
  16. cue — a hint
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. swing — music
  19. swing — to play on
  20. race — the arms race
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. race — a contest
  23. spring — of water
  24. spring — the season

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