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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. ground — crushed
  5. bank — for money
  6. ground — the earth
  7. stem — to come from
  8. bank — for money
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. track — a path
  12. ground — a position
  13. snap — to click
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. bank — of a river
  16. track — a song
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. snap — to snap out of it

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