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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: cold · snap · stand · temple · foot · wave · last · spring

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. spring — of water
  5. cold — not warm
  6. cold — an illness
  7. last — to go on
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. last — final
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. spring — a coil
  18. foot — a measure
  19. snap — to click
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. last — finally
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. stand — to bear

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