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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: nail · pound · bulb · object · kid · temple · bowl · wound

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. object — an aim
  3. object — a thing
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. pound — a weight
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. bulb — for light
  10. kid — child
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bulb — for light
  17. object — to protest
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. kid — to tease
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. pound — to hit hard

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