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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 120 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: pitcher · rule · rush · wound · pound · mine · temple · spring

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. spring — the season
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. spring — of water
  11. pound — a weight
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. spring — a coil
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. rush — hurry
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. rule — government
  22. rule — a law
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. mine — for digging

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