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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: rash · squash · hide · temple · perch · snap · bore · bulb

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. bore — to drill
  3. bulb — for light
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. squash — the sport
  6. rash — a series
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. rash — hasty
  9. squash — to crush
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. perch — the fish
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. snap — to click
  23. bore — to tire
  24. hide — animal skin

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