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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. pass — a permit
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. bound — certain
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. bulb — for light
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. bulb — for light
  15. ground — the earth
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. roll — a cake
  19. roll — a list
  20. bound — obliged
  21. bound — tied together
  22. ground — a position
  23. ground — crushed
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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