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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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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: track · wind · drill · bulb · club · cell · temple · rest

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. cell — in biology
  3. drill — a practice
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. drill — the tool
  6. cell — a phone
  7. track — to keep track
  8. bulb — for light
  9. club — for golf
  10. wind — moving air
  11. rest — a break
  12. rest — what's left
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. club — a group
  16. club — for dancing
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. bulb — for light
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. drill — army training
  21. track — a path
  22. rest — what's left
  23. track — a song
  24. wind — moving air

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