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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: plane · wind · staff · mine · wake · band · temple · spring

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. wake — a trail
  5. staff — employees
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. band — a music group
  8. spring — the season
  9. mine — for digging
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. plane — a tool
  13. staff — employees
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. spring — a coil
  17. wind — moving air
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. staff — a stick
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. band — a ring
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. spring — of water

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