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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: ball · bat · temple · tear · bulb · row · lie · cap

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. tear — to rip
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. bulb — for light
  6. ball — a dance
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. cap — a lid
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. cap — of ice
  12. ball — a great time
  13. tear — from crying
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. bulb — for light
  16. cap — a hat
  17. tear — from crying
  18. bat — the animal
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. row — a line
  23. lie — to recline
  24. temple — side of the head

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