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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · coach · wave · bark · mine · safe · temple · game

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. spring — a coil
  5. bark — to shout
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. game — a match
  8. game — wild animals
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. spring — the season
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. mine — for digging
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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