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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.

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: cabinet · spring · wound · coach · degree · mark · bore · temple

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. spring — the season
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. degree — temperature
  9. bore — to tire
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. bore — to drill
  12. wound — an injury
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. mark — a trace
  15. wound — an injury
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. spring — of water
  18. mark — a grade
  19. spring — a coil
  20. degree — an amount
  21. degree — from a university
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. coach — a trainer

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