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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. stem — to come from
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. wound — an injury
  9. rash — hasty
  10. pitch — completely
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. spell — a short time
  13. bear — the animal
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. spell — magic
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. rash — a series
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. bear — the animal
  23. wound — an injury
  24. trunk — of a car

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