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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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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: bulb · rock · bay · kid · spring · deal · temple · wound

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. wound — an injury
  3. rock — music
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. spring — a coil
  7. kid — to tease
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. rock — a stone
  10. deal — to handle
  11. spring — of water
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. bulb — for light
  14. spring — the season
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. wound — an injury
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. kid — child
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  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