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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: wound · spring · kick · fan · temple · mug · bulb · sharp

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. sharp — clever
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. bulb — for light
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. mug — a cup
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. spring — the season
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. kick — in football
  12. mug — a face
  13. wound — an injury
  14. spring — a coil
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. wound — an injury
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. spring — of water
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. mug — to rob

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