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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 120 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: fan · fall · temple · mug · bound · mine · snap · spring

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. mug — to rob
  3. mug — a face
  4. spring — a coil
  5. spring — the season
  6. mine — for digging
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. snap — to click
  9. fall — the season
  10. bound — obliged
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. spring — of water
  13. fall — to drop
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. bound — tied together
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. bound — certain
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. mug — a cup
  24. temple — a place of worship

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