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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 ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. key — in music
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. stem — to come from
  9. cell — a phone
  10. key — for a lock
  11. wax — to grow
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. cell — in biology
  15. season — in sport
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. key — the most important part
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. season — of the year
  24. nail — on a finger

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