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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. sharp — clever
  3. bass — the fish
  4. drill — the tool
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. drill — army training
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bulb — for light
  11. spell — a short time
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. spell — letters
  15. bark — to shout
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. bass — low music
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. race — a contest
  20. race — humankind
  21. race — the arms race
  22. spell — magic
  23. drill — a practice
  24. temple — a place of worship

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