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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: last · tear · temple · cabinet · bulb · current · race · chest

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. current — electric
  3. current — of water
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. last — finally
  6. chest — a box
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. bulb — for light
  9. chest — of your body
  10. race — humankind
  11. tear — from crying
  12. last — to go on
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. tear — to rip
  18. race — a contest
  19. chest — of your body
  20. current — happening now
  21. bulb — for light
  22. tear — from crying
  23. last — final
  24. race — the arms race

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