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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: staff · kick · spring · lie · patient · cold · leaves · temple

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. staff — employees
  3. staff — a stick
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. cold — not warm
  7. kick — in football
  8. cold — an illness
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. lie — to recline
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. staff — employees
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. spring — of water
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. spring — the season

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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