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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: saw · mine · wave · temple · wake · swing · pitcher · season

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. season — in sport
  3. mine — for digging
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. swing — in golf
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. swing — music
  12. saw — the tool
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. swing — to play on
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. saw — the tool
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. wake — a trail
  23. season — of the year
  24. wave — with your hand

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