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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.

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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: spring · stick · temple · perch · mine · mate · wound · club

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. mate — to breed
  5. club — a group
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. mate — a friend
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. mine — for digging
  14. wound — an injury
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. spring — the season
  18. spring — a coil
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. spring — of water
  21. perch — the fish
  22. club — for golf
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. club — for dancing

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