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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: wind · leaves · court · ground · wave · tube · drill · temple

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. ground — the earth
  5. court — for sport
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. ground — crushed
  8. wind — moving air
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. drill — army training
  13. court — of law
  14. court — of a king
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. tube — the underground
  18. drill — a practice
  19. tube — a container
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. wind — moving air
  23. drill — the tool
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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