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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. wound — an injury
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. cell — a phone
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. tube — a container
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. tube — the underground
  9. bulb — for light
  10. perch — the fish
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. bulb — for light
  14. degree — an amount
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. degree — temperature
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. cell — in biology
  20. degree — from a university
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. wound — an injury

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