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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. spring — a coil
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. bore — to drill
  10. bulb — for light
  11. season — in sport
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. bore — to tire
  14. dip — to sink
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. spring — of water
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. season — of the year
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. bulb — for light

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