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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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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. bass — the fish
  3. bass — low music
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. root — the cause
  7. stem — to come from
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. present — a gift
  10. root — of a word
  11. last — finally
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. last — final
  14. present — the time now
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. root — of a plant
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. last — to go on

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