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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: hand · lie · wound · temple · kick · current · tear · bulb

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. current — happening now
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. hand — help
  6. tear — from crying
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. tear — from crying
  9. tear — to rip
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. bulb — for light
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. kick — in football
  15. hand — in cards
  16. current — electric
  17. current — of water
  18. wound — an injury
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. lie — to recline
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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