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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: mark · temple · shower · season · wake · clip · jam · land

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. mark — a grade
  3. clip — a video
  4. clip — to cut
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. season — of the year
  11. clip — for paper
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. wake — a trail
  14. land — to come down
  15. land — ground
  16. shower — rain
  17. land — a country
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. season — in sport
  21. shower — to wash
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. wake — before a funeral

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