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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. staff — a stick
  3. stand — to bear
  4. bulb — for light
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. cold — an illness
  8. staff — employees
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. kid — to tease
  11. staff — employees
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. vault — a safe
  17. kid — child
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. bark — to shout
  23. cold — not warm
  24. stand — for spectators

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