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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. current — electric
  7. prune — to trim
  8. current — happening now
  9. mark — a trace
  10. stem — to come from
  11. key — in music
  12. key — for a lock
  13. key — the most important part
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. mark — a grade
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. prune — to trim
  18. current — of water

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