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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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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: saw · bowl · ground · temple · rest · spring · stick · fork

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. spring — the season
  8. saw — the tool
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. ground — the earth
  12. ground — crushed
  13. rest — what's left
  14. saw — the tool
  15. fork — in a road
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. spring — a coil
  20. ground — a position
  21. rest — what's left
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. rest — a break
  24. spring — of water

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