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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. bulb — for light
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. content — happy
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. spring — the season
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. spring — a coil
  13. tube — the underground
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. tube — a container
  18. content — the amount
  19. mug — a face
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. plane — a tool
  22. mug — to rob
  23. bulb — for light
  24. mug — a cup

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