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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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. bulb — for light
  4. game — a match
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. bulb — for light
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. bound — tied together
  10. bound — obliged
  11. prune — to trim
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. game — wild animals
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. bound — certain
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. shower — to wash
  21. shower — rain
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. prune — to trim
  24. prune — the fruit

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