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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  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. temple — a place of worship
  2. squash — to crush
  3. clip — a video
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. squash — the sport
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. clip — for paper
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. pop — to visit
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. pop — soda
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. stem — to come from
  19. pop — music
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. clip — to cut
  23. trunk — of a tree
  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