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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.

Make a worksheet

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: land · wave · prune · racket · plane · spring · temple · mine

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. spring — of water
  5. prune — to trim
  6. spring — the season
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. land — a country
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. land — to come down
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. prune — to trim
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. mine — for digging
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. plane — a tool
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. spring — a coil
  24. land — ground

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