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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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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: lean · race · bulb · clip · lie · content · temple · patient

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. content — the amount
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. clip — for paper
  9. lie — to recline
  10. lean — thin
  11. content — happy
  12. bulb — for light
  13. lean — to bend
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. race — a contest
  17. race — the arms race
  18. clip — to cut
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. clip — a video
  23. race — humankind
  24. temple — side of the head

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