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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.

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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: season · kid · temple · spell · plane · spring · craft · can

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. season — of the year
  3. can — a tin
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. can — a tin
  6. spring — a coil
  7. can — to be able to
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. spell — letters
  10. spring — the season
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. season — in sport
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. plane — a tool
  15. spell — a short time
  16. craft — boats
  17. kid — child
  18. craft — a skill
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. kid — to tease
  22. spell — magic
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. temple — a place of worship

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