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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.

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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: ball · chest · trunk · tube · temple · board · bulb · mine

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. chest — of your body
  3. ball — a great time
  4. chest — a box
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. mine — for digging
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. board — a committee
  10. ball — a dance
  11. bulb — for light
  12. tube — a container
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. chest — of your body
  20. board — to get on
  21. bulb — for light
  22. tube — the underground
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. mine — an explosive

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