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

Word bank: chest · plane · trunk · mark · cue · bulb · kid · temple

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. cue — for pool
  3. mark — a trace
  4. bulb — for light
  5. chest — of your body
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. kid — child
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. cue — a signal
  11. chest — of your body
  12. bulb — for light
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. mark — a grade
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. chest — a box
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. kid — to tease
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. cue — a hint
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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