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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. stem — to come from
  4. spell — magic
  5. squash — to crush
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. hand — help
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. squash — the sport
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. spell — letters
  13. kid — to tease
  14. hand — in cards
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. spell — a short time
  17. foot — a measure
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. kid — child
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. lash — to lash out

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