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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  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. bulb — of a plant
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. bulb — for light
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. bark — to shout
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. vault — a safe
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. chair — a leader
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. shower — to wash
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  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