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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: temple · firm · mine · bulb · file · kick · wind · staff

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. file — a tool
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. firm — decided
  6. staff — employees
  7. wind — moving air
  8. file — a document
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. firm — a company
  13. kick — in football
  14. wind — moving air
  15. staff — employees
  16. file — a line of people
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. bulb — for light
  21. staff — a stick
  22. firm — steady
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. mine — for digging

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