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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: pass · spring · nail · lean · present · game · degree · temple

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. degree — from a university
  4. lean — thin
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. game — a match
  7. present — a gift
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. game — wild animals
  11. spring — the season
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. degree — an amount
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. present — the time now
  18. spring — of water
  19. spring — a coil
  20. present — there
  21. pass — a permit
  22. degree — temperature
  23. lean — to bend
  24. nail — on a finger

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