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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. net — in sport
  3. rock — a stone
  4. net — for catching
  5. key — the most important part
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. plane — a tool
  9. key — in music
  10. key — for a lock
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. net — after costs
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. rock — music
  18. stem — to come from

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