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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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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 · pound · lie · pit · temple · drill · bulb · wind

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. wind — moving air
  7. bulb — for light
  8. pit — a hole
  9. tear — from crying
  10. bulb — for light
  11. pit — in a race
  12. lie — to recline
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. tear — from crying
  15. pound — a weight
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. drill — army training
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. drill — a practice
  22. tear — to rip
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. drill — the tool

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