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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. drill — the tool
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. drill — army training
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. rash — hasty
  9. stem — to come from
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. bear — the animal
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. capital — a city
  14. bank — for money
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. bank — for money
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. drill — a practice
  20. rash — a series
  21. bank — of a river
  22. capital — money
  23. bear — the animal
  24. mouse — for a computer

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