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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. stem — to come from
  4. ground — crushed
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. sharp — clever
  7. cap — of ice
  8. cap — a hat
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. cap — a lid
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. ground — a position
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. foot — a measure
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. pound — a weight
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. ground — the earth

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