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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: spell · spring · plane · saw · mark · wind · temple · fine

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. spring — of water
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. saw — the tool
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. plane — a tool
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. wind — moving air
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. spell — letters
  11. wind — moving air
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. fine — high quality
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. mark — a trace
  17. spell — a short time
  18. fine — all right
  19. saw — the tool
  20. spring — a coil
  21. spring — the season
  22. spell — magic
  23. mark — a grade
  24. plane — an aircraft

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