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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.

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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: spring · wound · suit · lash · tear · wave · temple · game

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  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. game — a match
  2. suit — in cards
  3. game — wild animals
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. tear — to rip
  6. spring — the season
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. spring — of water
  12. tear — from crying
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. tear — from crying
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. suit — to fit
  19. wound — an injury
  20. spring — a coil
  21. suit — clothes
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. temple — side of the head

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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