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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: mine · spring · bore · temple · stock · content · wax · rock

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. spring — the season
  3. content — the amount
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. bore — to tire
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. bore — to drill
  10. rock — music
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. mine — for digging
  17. spring — a coil
  18. content — happy
  19. stock — shares
  20. wax — to grow
  21. stock — goods
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. spring — of water
  24. rock — a stone

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