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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: pit · wound · temple · perch · hand · bulb · bowl · wax

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. wax — to grow
  4. hand — help
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. wound — an injury
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. bulb — for light
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. wound — an injury
  14. hand — in cards
  15. pit — in a race
  16. bulb — for light
  17. perch — the fish
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. pit — a hole

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