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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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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: temple · wind · roll · perch · bank · march · rest · bulb

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. march — the month
  7. bulb — for light
  8. roll — a list
  9. march — the month
  10. wind — moving air
  11. bank — of a river
  12. perch — the fish
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. march — music
  16. bank — for money
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. wind — moving air
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bank — for money
  21. rest — what's left
  22. roll — a cake
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. rest — a break

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