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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: temple · toast · spring · capital · snap · row · bay · bass

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. toast — bread
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. capital — a city
  5. row — to paddle
  6. spring — of water
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. bass — low music
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. capital — money
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. snap — to click
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. spring — a coil
  20. spring — the season
  21. bass — the fish
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. bay — a horse colour

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