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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 120 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: bowl · temple · wave · season · spring · saw · game · cap

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. spring — of water
  3. game — wild animals
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. spring — the season
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. saw — the tool
  8. season — of the year
  9. cap — of ice
  10. cap — a lid
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. game — a match
  18. spring — a coil
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. saw — the tool
  22. cap — a hat
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. season — in sport

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