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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: rash · date · face · bulb · lash · wound · temple · land

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. land — a country
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. bulb — for light
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. date — the fruit
  8. land — to come down
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. land — ground
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. rash — a series
  14. face — part of the head
  15. bulb — for light
  16. face — to point toward
  17. wound — an injury
  18. rash — hasty
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. wound — an injury
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. face — to confront
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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