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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 · net · mark · bore · deal · bark · current

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bore — to drill
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. bark — to shout
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. net — after costs
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. net — in sport
  12. mark — a grade
  13. current — of water
  14. bulb — for light
  15. mark — a trace
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. current — happening now
  19. deal — to handle
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. net — for catching
  23. bore — to tire
  24. current — electric

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