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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: mouse · temple · wake · spring · wound · ball · present · pitcher

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. present — a gift
  5. ball — a dance
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. present — the time now
  11. ball — a great time
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wound — an injury
  17. spring — of water
  18. spring — the season
  19. present — there
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. spring — a coil
  24. temple — side of the head

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