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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: race · leaves · bear · content · temple · wake · cue · spring

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. cue — a signal
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. spring — of water
  6. bear — the animal
  7. content — the amount
  8. race — a contest
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. spring — a coil
  13. cue — a hint
  14. wake — a trail
  15. bear — the animal
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. race — humankind
  19. race — the arms race
  20. cue — for pool
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. spring — the season
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  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