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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: court · staff · mouse · bulb · pop · wound · temple · hand

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. bulb — for light
  3. court — of a king
  4. staff — employees
  5. pop — music
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. wound — an injury
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. staff — a stick
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. staff — employees
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. wound — an injury
  17. pop — to visit
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. court — for sport
  20. hand — in cards
  21. bulb — for light
  22. pop — soda
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. court — of law

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