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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
468
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: net · bulb · patient · tube · season · temple · foot · kid

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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. temple — a place of worship
  4. net — in sport
  5. season — of the year
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. foot — a measure
  9. kid — to tease
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. net — after costs
  12. kid — child
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. net — for catching
  20. tube — a container
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. season — in sport
  23. tube — the underground
  24. bulb — for light

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