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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.

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: leaves · spring · bound · rock · clip · dip · cold · temple

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. spring — a coil
  4. spring — of water
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. clip — for paper
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. spring — the season
  11. clip — to cut
  12. bound — certain
  13. bound — obliged
  14. cold — an illness
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. dip — to sink
  17. rock — a stone
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. clip — a video
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. rock — music
  23. cold — not warm
  24. temple — a place of worship

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