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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. wake — a trail
  3. mine — for digging
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. last — finally
  7. bear — the animal
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. last — final
  12. bulb — for light
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. bulb — for light
  15. prune — to trim
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. bear — the animal
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. last — to go on
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. prune — to trim
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. lash — to lash out

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