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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. stem — to come from
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. snap — to click
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. march — the month
  10. march — the month
  11. wake — a trail
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. ball — a great time
  16. date — the fruit
  17. march — music
  18. band — a music group
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. ball — a dance
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. band — a ring
  24. stem — of a plant

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