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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: pass · spell · spring · temple · wind · shower · mug · coach

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. pass — a permit
  4. wind — moving air
  5. spell — a short time
  6. spring — of water
  7. mug — to rob
  8. spell — magic
  9. spring — the season
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. shower — rain
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. mug — a face
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. shower — to wash
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. spring — a coil
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. spell — letters
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. wind — moving air
  24. mug — a cup

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