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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 · perch · bulb · cabinet · rush · net · temple · chest

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. net — after costs
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. chest — of your body
  10. bulb — for light
  11. ball — a dance
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. ball — a great time
  14. bulb — for light
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. perch — the fish
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. chest — a box
  22. chest — of your body
  23. net — in sport
  24. rush — hurry

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