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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: mate · spring · season · clip · tear · temple · fall · net

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. season — of the year
  3. season — in sport
  4. tear — from crying
  5. clip — for paper
  6. net — for catching
  7. spring — a coil
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. mate — a friend
  11. clip — a video
  12. net — in sport
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. fall — to drop
  15. net — after costs
  16. clip — to cut
  17. tear — to rip
  18. mate — to breed
  19. mate — a partner
  20. spring — the season
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. spring — of water
  23. fall — the season
  24. tear — from crying

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