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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: net · temple · bulb · bark · season · degree · bass · calf

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  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. calf — a young animal
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. degree — from a university
  5. season — in sport
  6. bass — low music
  7. degree — temperature
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. bass — the fish
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. net — after costs
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. net — in sport
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. degree — an amount
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. bark — to shout
  18. net — for catching
  19. bulb — for light
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. season — of the year
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. bulb — of a plant
  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