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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: spring · wind · temple · staff · lean · fall · firm · snap

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. staff — employees
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. wind — moving air
  5. lean — thin
  6. firm — a company
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. fall — the season
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. spring — the season
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. firm — steady
  14. staff — a stick
  15. spring — of water
  16. wind — moving air
  17. snap — to click
  18. fall — to drop
  19. spring — a coil
  20. staff — employees
  21. fall — to drop
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. lean — to bend

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