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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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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: wind · present · saw · leaves · rest · temple · ruler · spring

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. spring — the season
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. present — the time now
  6. rest — what's left
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. wind — moving air
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rest — a break
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. wind — moving air
  16. spring — of water
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. saw — the tool
  20. saw — the tool
  21. present — a gift
  22. present — there
  23. spring — a coil
  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