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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. net — after costs
  3. bark — to shout
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. net — in sport
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. craft — a skill
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. stem — to come from
  11. bulb — for light
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. net — for catching
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. bulb — for light
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. fork — in a road
  21. craft — boats
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. wax — to grow
  24. bark — of a tree

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