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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
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: wake · field · arm · season · bulb · lean · cold · temple

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. cold — an illness
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. bulb — for light
  9. season — in sport
  10. season — of the year
  11. field — a subject
  12. cold — not warm
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. field — for sport
  15. bulb — for light
  16. field — farmland
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. lean — thin
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. wake — a trail

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