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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. land — a country
  4. land — to come down
  5. file — a tool
  6. bulb — for light
  7. roll — a list
  8. file — a document
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. file — a line of people
  12. present — there
  13. present — the time now
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. tube — the underground
  16. land — ground
  17. tube — a container
  18. stock — goods
  19. roll — a cake
  20. stock — shares
  21. bulb — for light
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. present — a gift
  24. tube — in a tire

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