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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 120 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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. net — in sport
  9. game — a match
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. bark — to shout
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. rush — hurry
  15. land — a country
  16. net — after costs
  17. land — to come down
  18. land — ground
  19. game — wild animals
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. lie — to recline
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. bulb — for light
  24. net — for catching

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