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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: bulb · face · capital · ball · spring · last · pound · temple

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. bulb — for light
  3. face — part of the head
  4. spring — a coil
  5. last — final
  6. last — to go on
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. ball — a dance
  10. spring — the season
  11. bulb — for light
  12. spring — of water
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. capital — a city
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. face — to point toward
  19. ball — a great time
  20. face — to confront
  21. last — finally
  22. capital — money
  23. pound — a weight
  24. ball — a round shape

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