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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: temple · bulb · key · tear · fall · fine · mate · face

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. fine — all right
  3. mate — a friend
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. tear — from crying
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. tear — to rip
  8. key — the most important part
  9. fine — high quality
  10. bulb — for light
  11. mate — to breed
  12. key — in music
  13. bulb — for light
  14. face — part of the head
  15. mate — a partner
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. fall — to drop
  18. tear — from crying
  19. face — to confront
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. fall — the season
  22. face — to point toward
  23. key — for a lock
  24. fall — to drop

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