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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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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: racket · lean · capital · temple · fan · staff · bulb · mark

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. bulb — for light
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. mark — a grade
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. staff — a stick
  9. lean — thin
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. bulb — for light
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. capital — money
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. mark — a trace
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. staff — employees
  19. staff — employees
  20. capital — a city
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. lean — to bend
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. bulb — of a plant

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