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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: bat · pop · squash · bulb · charge · stem · temple · hand

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. bat — the animal
  3. pop — soda
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. stem — to come from
  6. charge — electricity
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. pop — to visit
  10. squash — to crush
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. squash — the sport
  14. bulb — for light
  15. pop — music
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. charge — in control
  18. charge — a price
  19. hand — in cards
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. hand — part of the body

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