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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. bulb — for light
  3. rock — music
  4. track — a path
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. wake — a trail
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. track — to keep track
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. shower — to wash
  15. last — finally
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. last — final
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. track — a song
  20. bulb — for light
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. last — to go on
  24. shower — rain

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