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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: temple · bulb · shower · can · date · cue · file · row

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. can — to be able to
  4. file — a tool
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. can — a tin
  7. cue — a signal
  8. cue — for pool
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. cue — a hint
  12. date — the fruit
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. row — a line
  15. bulb — for light
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. row — to paddle
  19. shower — to wash
  20. shower — rain
  21. file — a line of people
  22. can — a tin
  23. file — a document
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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