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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 · mine · wave · leaves · clip · temple · saw · rest

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. saw — the tool
  3. rest — a break
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. spring — the season
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. clip — a video
  12. clip — for paper
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. spring — of water
  16. saw — the tool
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. clip — to cut
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. spring — a coil
  22. rest — what's left
  23. rest — what's left
  24. mine — for digging

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