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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: game · temple · fan · hide · prune · tube · rock · bulb

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bulb — for light
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. rock — a stone
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. tube — a container
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. game — wild animals
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. prune — to trim
  17. tube — the underground
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. prune — to trim
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. game — a match
  24. rock — to move gently

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