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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. rock — a stone
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. cell — in biology
  7. field — for sport
  8. field — farmland
  9. degree — an amount
  10. cell — a phone
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. wind — moving air
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. wind — moving air
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. field — a subject
  18. stem — to come from
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. rock — music
  21. degree — from a university
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. degree — temperature
  24. wind — to turn a key

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