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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 120 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 · swing · mine · mark · sharp · stand · drill · bulb

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. mark — a trace
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. sharp — clever
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. swing — to play on
  9. swing — music
  10. drill — a practice
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. swing — in golf
  14. stand — to bear
  15. bulb — for light
  16. drill — the tool
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. mine — for digging
  20. bulb — for light
  21. mark — a grade
  22. drill — army training
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. temple — side 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