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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: temple · pop · track · bulb · bound · date · clip · dip

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. bound — obliged
  3. bulb — for light
  4. clip — to cut
  5. pop — to visit
  6. track — a song
  7. bound — tied together
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. pop — soda
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. clip — for paper
  13. bulb — for light
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. bound — certain
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. clip — a video
  20. track — to keep track
  21. date — the fruit
  22. dip — to sink
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. pop — music

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