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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: spring · ground · bass · pitcher · bear · content · key · temple

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. bass — low music
  4. bear — the animal
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. bass — the fish
  7. spring — a coil
  8. content — happy
  9. ground — a position
  10. key — for a lock
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. ground — the earth
  17. content — the amount
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. key — in music
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. key — the most important part
  22. spring — of water
  23. bear — the animal
  24. ground — crushed

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