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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bulb · temple · wake · fall · scale · dip · lie · bowl

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. scale — in music
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. lie — to recline
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. fall — the season
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. scale — size or range
  16. dip — to sink
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. fall — to drop
  19. fall — to drop
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. bulb — for light
  23. wake — a trail
  24. bowl — a football final

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