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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.

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: spring · season · tube · bulb · wake · temple · last · sharp

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. last — to go on
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. season — of the year
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. spring — the season
  10. wake — a trail
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. bulb — for light
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. spring — of water
  15. tube — a container
  16. last — final
  17. spring — a coil
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. last — finally
  21. season — in sport
  22. tube — the underground
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. sharp — clever

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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