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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: tear · bulb · tube · march · temple · cap · game · bore

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. bore — to tire
  3. tube — a container
  4. tear — to rip
  5. bore — to drill
  6. march — the month
  7. march — the month
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. game — a match
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. cap — a hat
  12. tube — the underground
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. game — wild animals
  16. tear — from crying
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. cap — a lid
  19. cap — of ice
  20. tear — from crying
  21. bulb — for light
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. bulb — for light
  24. temple — a place of worship

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