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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. bore — to drill
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. ball — a dance
  5. cap — of ice
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. cap — a lid
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. stem — to come from
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. cap — a hat
  13. ball — a great time
  14. spell — letters
  15. spell — magic
  16. bore — to tire
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. spell — a short time
  19. saw — the tool
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. saw — the tool
  24. mine — for digging

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