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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: club · bulb · bat · trunk · season · temple · last · cap

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. club — for dancing
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bat — the animal
  8. season — of the year
  9. cap — a lid
  10. last — final
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. cap — a hat
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. season — in sport
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. club — for golf
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. cap — of ice
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. last — to go on
  23. club — a group
  24. last — finally

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