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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. pound — a weight
  5. capital — money
  6. mate — a partner
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. mate — a friend
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. stem — to come from
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. mate — to breed
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. wake — a trail
  20. capital — a city
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. temple — side of the head

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