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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: wound · snap · bulb · temple · craft · squash · field · pass

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. bulb — for light
  4. squash — to crush
  5. bulb — for light
  6. field — a subject
  7. squash — the sport
  8. snap — to click
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. craft — a skill
  11. wound — an injury
  12. craft — boats
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. field — farmland
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. wound — an injury
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. field — for sport
  24. snap — to snap out of it

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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