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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: bulb · pitcher · land · temple · club · present · wound · pop

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. club — for golf
  5. wound — an injury
  6. pop — to visit
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. present — a gift
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. pop — soda
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. present — there
  13. land — ground
  14. present — the time now
  15. club — a group
  16. wound — an injury
  17. land — to come down
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. club — for dancing
  20. land — a country
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bulb — for light
  24. temple — a place of worship

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