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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. date — the fruit
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. can — a tin
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. branch — a division
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. game — wild animals
  13. root — the cause
  14. can — to be able to
  15. can — a tin
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. game — a match
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. stem — to come from
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. root — of a plant
  24. root — of a word

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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