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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: tube · ball · bulb · hide · lean · mine · temple · hand

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. hand — help
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. tube — the underground
  7. tube — a container
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. bulb — for light
  13. hand — in cards
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. lean — to bend
  19. mine — for digging
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. ball — a great time
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. ball — a dance

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