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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
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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: dip · rest · lie · temple · game · stock · spring · clip

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. rest — what's left
  3. spring — a coil
  4. stock — goods
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rest — a break
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. spring — of water
  9. clip — for paper
  10. clip — to cut
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. dip — to sink
  15. stock — shares
  16. lie — to recline
  17. game — a match
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. game — wild animals
  21. spring — the season
  22. clip — a video
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. temple — side of the head

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