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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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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: bulb · coach · mug · object · temple · hand · bat · can

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. mug — to rob
  3. mug — a face
  4. object — an aim
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. hand — in cards
  7. can — a tin
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. mug — a cup
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. bat — the animal
  14. bulb — for light
  15. object — to protest
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. object — a thing
  18. hand — help
  19. bulb — for light
  20. can — a tin
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. coach — a trainer

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