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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: club · bulb · field · bank · wake · kid · prune · temple

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. club — for dancing
  4. field — a subject
  5. bulb — for light
  6. wake — a trail
  7. club — a group
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. bank — of a river
  11. prune — to trim
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. club — for golf
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. kid — child
  16. kid — to tease
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. field — farmland
  20. bulb — for light
  21. prune — to trim
  22. bank — for money
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. field — for sport

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