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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: rest · temple · spring · branch · straw · perch · stand · mate

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. rest — a break
  4. branch — a division
  5. spring — the season
  6. stand — to bear
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. mate — to breed
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. perch — the fish
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. rest — what's left
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. mate — a friend
  21. spring — a coil
  22. mate — a partner
  23. rest — what's left
  24. temple — side of the head

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