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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
468
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: cell · coach · racket · pitcher · spring · land · content · temple

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. content — the amount
  5. spring — a coil
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. spring — of water
  8. content — happy
  9. cell — in biology
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. land — a country
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. land — to come down
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. land — ground
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. spring — the season

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