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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 120 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: bear · field · temple · bark · lie · bulb · can · dip

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. field — farmland
  6. can — a tin
  7. bear — the animal
  8. can — to be able to
  9. can — a tin
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. lie — to recline
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bear — the animal
  14. field — a subject
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. field — for sport
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. bark — to shout
  20. dip — to sink
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. bulb — for light

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