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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. kick — in football
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. root — of a plant
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. root — the cause
  13. ground — crushed
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. ground — a position
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. stem — to come from
  19. root — of a word
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. ground — the earth
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. rush — hurry

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