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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wound · lie · chair · temple · bulb · mine · game · wake

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. game — wild animals
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. game — a match
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. lie — to recline
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. bulb — for light
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. bulb — for light
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. wound — an injury
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. wound — an injury
  22. mine — for digging
  23. chair — a leader
  24. wake — a trail

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