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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. face — part of the head
  3. present — a gift
  4. bore — to drill
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. present — the time now
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. fork — in a road
  10. stem — to come from
  11. current — electric
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. face — to confront
  16. face — to point toward
  17. current — happening now
  18. bore — to tire
  19. current — of water
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. mine — for digging
  22. present — there
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. fork — a garden tool

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