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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. mug — to rob
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. bore — to tire
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. rest — a break
  12. mug — a cup
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. bulb — for light
  15. rest — what's left
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. mug — a face
  18. bore — to drill
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. perch — the fish
  23. rest — what's left
  24. mine — for digging

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