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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: fall · net · fine · cold · drill · bulb · fan · temple

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. net — for catching
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. net — in sport
  6. cold — an illness
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. bulb — for light
  10. net — after costs
  11. drill — army training
  12. fine — high quality
  13. drill — a practice
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. fine — all right
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. bulb — for light
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. fall — to drop
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. fall — to drop
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. fall — the season
  24. drill — the tool

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