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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. kid — child
  6. bulb — for light
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. kid — to tease
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. snap — to click
  15. ball — a great time
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. ball — a dance
  18. branch — a division
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. ball — a round shape

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