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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. can — a tin
  3. bear — the animal
  4. sharp — clever
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. can — to be able to
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. land — a country
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. can — a tin
  21. land — to come down
  22. land — ground
  23. stem — to come from
  24. plane — a 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