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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: cue · temple · jam · file · wind · face · spring · object

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  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. face — to point toward
  2. file — a document
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wind — moving air
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. object — to protest
  9. spring — a coil
  10. object — an aim
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. spring — the season
  13. cue — for pool
  14. face — part of the head
  15. cue — a hint
  16. file — a tool
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. spring — of water
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. cue — a signal
  21. file — a line of people
  22. face — to confront
  23. object — a thing
  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