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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: chest · rest · bear · temple · land · bulb · ball · wave

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. rest — what's left
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. ball — a great time
  7. land — ground
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. chest — of your body
  10. chest — of your body
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bear — the animal
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. rest — a break
  15. rest — what's left
  16. chest — a box
  17. land — to come down
  18. land — a country
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bulb — for light
  21. ball — a dance
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. bulb — of a plant

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