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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: temple · wound · bulb · kid · spell · mark · leaves · object

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. spell — letters
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. spell — magic
  5. object — a thing
  6. wound — an injury
  7. mark — a grade
  8. object — to protest
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. object — an aim
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bulb — for light
  13. kid — to tease
  14. spell — a short time
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. kid — child
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. mark — a trace
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. wound — an injury

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