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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. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. race — humankind
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. pound — a weight
  6. wind — moving air
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. wind — moving air
  11. deal — to handle
  12. bulb — for light
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. plane — a tool
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. race — a contest
  17. race — the arms race
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. bulb — for light
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. wind — to turn a key

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