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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: temple · spring · shower · row · bulb · racket · saw · sharp

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. bulb — for light
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. row — to paddle
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. spring — of water
  8. saw — the tool
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. shower — rain
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. saw — the tool
  15. shower — to wash
  16. row — a line
  17. bulb — for light
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. sharp — clever
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. spring — a coil
  24. racket — for tennis

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