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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: roll · bulb · fall · temple · patient · net · degree · mine

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. mine — for digging
  3. fall — to drop
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. fall — to drop
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. roll — a cake
  8. bulb — for light
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. degree — an amount
  13. net — after costs
  14. fall — the season
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. bulb — for light
  18. roll — a list
  19. net — for catching
  20. degree — from a university
  21. net — in sport
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. degree — temperature
  24. temple — side of the head

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