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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: mine · calf · coach · rock · kid · temple · bulb · tear

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. tear — from crying
  5. rock — a stone
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. rock — music
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. tear — to rip
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. bulb — for light
  16. tear — from crying
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. mine — for digging
  19. bulb — for light
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. kid — child
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. kid — to tease

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