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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: wave · mouse · content · kid · cell · fine · temple · spring

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. content — happy
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. fine — all right
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. cell — a phone
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. kid — child
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. content — the amount
  15. spring — the season
  16. kid — to tease
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. spring — of water
  21. cell — in biology
  22. fine — high quality
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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