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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. bat — the animal
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. rash — hasty
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. rash — a series
  11. chest — a box
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. chest — of your body
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bark — to shout
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bear — the animal

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