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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: spring · track · mate · jam · rush · calf · stand · temple

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. spring — a coil
  4. mate — to breed
  5. track — a path
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. track — to keep track
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. mate — a friend
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. rush — hurry
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. stand — to bear
  20. spring — the season
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. track — a song
  23. spring — of water
  24. stand — for spectators

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