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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. charge — electricity
  3. net — after costs
  4. bore — to drill
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. net — for catching
  7. charge — in control
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. band — a ring
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. stem — to come from
  13. band — a music group
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. net — in sport
  16. bore — to tire
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. shower — to wash
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. charge — a price
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. shower — rain
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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