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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. spell — magic
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. spell — a short time
  8. saw — the tool
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. pound — a weight
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. saw — the tool
  14. spell — letters
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. stem — to come from
  18. pass — a permit
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. bat — the animal
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. bat — for baseball

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