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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 · shower · sharp · roll · face · pop · temple · bulb

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bulb — for light
  4. roll — a cake
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. shower — rain
  7. pop — soda
  8. pop — music
  9. pop — to visit
  10. shower — to wash
  11. tube — the underground
  12. sharp — clever
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. face — to point toward
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. tube — a container
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. roll — a list
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. face — part of the head

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