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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 · fall · vault · chest · wind · stand · mouse

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. bulb — for light
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. stand — to bear
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. chest — of your body
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. wind — moving air
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. bulb — for light
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. wind — moving air
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. chest — of your body
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. vault — a safe
  18. fall — the season
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. fall — to drop
  24. chest — a box

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