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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: pass · bark · bulb · chest · temple · wave · file · degree

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. degree — an amount
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. pass — a permit
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. file — a line of people
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. degree — from a university
  10. degree — temperature
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. chest — of your body
  14. file — a tool
  15. file — a document
  16. chest — a box
  17. bark — to shout
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. chest — of your body
  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