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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: temple · bulb · kid · drill · mug · prune · bat · last

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. mug — a cup
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. last — to go on
  7. mug — to rob
  8. kid — to tease
  9. bat — the animal
  10. mug — a face
  11. drill — a practice
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. bulb — for light
  14. last — finally
  15. drill — army training
  16. bulb — for light
  17. drill — the tool
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. prune — to trim
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. last — final
  24. prune — to trim

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