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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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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: bore · band · cell · temple · root · bulb · toast · wound

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. root — the cause
  3. wound — an injury
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. toast — bread
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bore — to tire
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. band — a music group
  15. band — a ring
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. bore — to drill
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. wound — an injury
  20. cell — a phone
  21. cell — in biology
  22. root — of a word
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. root — of a plant

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