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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.

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: spell · temple · straw · spring · cap · trunk · bark · wound

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. spring — of water
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wound — an injury
  7. cap — of ice
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. cap — a hat
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. spell — letters
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. spell — a short time
  18. spring — a coil
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. spring — the season
  22. spell — magic
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. bark — to shout

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