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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. object — to protest
  4. mate — a partner
  5. stem — to come from
  6. hand — help
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. foot — a measure
  9. mate — a friend
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. object — a thing
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. deal — to handle
  16. object — an aim
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. land — a country
  19. land — to come down
  20. hand — in cards
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. land — ground

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