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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. When was this ________________ built?
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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. field — a subject
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. present — the time now
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. root — of a plant
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. root — the cause
  11. chest — of your body
  12. field — for sport
  13. root — of a word
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. field — farmland
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. pass — a permit
  18. chest — a box
  19. stem — to come from
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. present — a gift
  23. chest — of your body
  24. present — there

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