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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: temple · last · march · deal · bass · leaves · spring · lean

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. spring — of water
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. march — the month
  5. deal — to handle
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. last — final
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. march — music
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. bass — the fish
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. bass — low music
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. lean — to bend
  19. last — to go on
  20. lean — thin
  21. spring — a coil
  22. spring — the season
  23. last — finally
  24. lean — to rest against

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