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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.

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: court · file · bulb · bark · temple · fan · straw · mark

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. court — for sport
  3. court — of a king
  4. bulb — for light
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. file — a document
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. court — of law
  11. bulb — for light
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. file — a tool
  19. mark — a trace
  20. file — a line of people
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. mark — a grade
  24. bark — to shout

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