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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: march · temple · rush · bear · content · spring · bowl · hand

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. bear — the animal
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. march — the month
  5. hand — help
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. spring — the season
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. content — the amount
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. rush — hurry
  15. spring — a coil
  16. bear — the animal
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. hand — in cards
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. spring — of water
  22. march — the month
  23. content — happy
  24. march — music

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