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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: patient · temple · stick · ball · net · bulb · track · pop

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. track — to keep track
  7. ball — a dance
  8. track — a path
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bulb — for light
  11. net — after costs
  12. pop — music
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. net — in sport
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. pop — soda
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. pop — to visit
  23. ball — a great time
  24. net — for catching

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