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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: temple · spring · spell · saw · tear · track · rush · court

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. saw — the tool
  3. spring — a coil
  4. rush — hurry
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. track — a path
  7. tear — from crying
  8. track — to keep track
  9. spell — letters
  10. court — for sport
  11. spring — the season
  12. tear — to rip
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. spell — magic
  17. tear — from crying
  18. spring — of water
  19. track — a song
  20. spell — a short time
  21. court — of a king
  22. court — of law
  23. saw — the tool
  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