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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: bore · perch · temple · cue · last · safe · bulb · land

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. last — finally
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. bulb — for light
  5. land — a country
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. bore — to drill
  8. cue — for pool
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. perch — the fish
  11. bore — to tire
  12. cue — a signal
  13. land — ground
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. last — to go on
  16. last — final
  17. bulb — for light
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. land — to come down
  20. cue — a hint
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. safe — out of danger

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