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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: bulb · temple · coach · cold · pop · wake · fan · calf

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. pop — to visit
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. wake — a trail
  8. bulb — for light
  9. pop — music
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. cold — not warm
  13. pop — soda
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. bulb — for light
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. cold — the Cold War

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