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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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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: arm · rock · tear · row · mine · spring · temple · cap

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. tear — from crying
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. rock — a stone
  7. tear — to rip
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. spring — a coil
  11. row — to paddle
  12. tear — from crying
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. cap — a hat
  16. cap — of ice
  17. mine — for digging
  18. cap — a lid
  19. spring — the season
  20. rock — music
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. spring — of water
  24. arm — part of the body

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