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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: mouse · pound · temple · fork · spring · land · game · current

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  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. land — ground
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. current — electric
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. spring — a coil
  9. spring — the season
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. game — wild animals
  16. pound — a weight
  17. fork — in a road
  18. land — a country
  19. land — to come down
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. current — happening now
  22. current — of water
  23. game — a match
  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