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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. net — in sport
  3. spring — a coil
  4. race — the arms race
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. race — humankind
  9. stem — to come from
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. spell — magic
  12. net — after costs
  13. spell — letters
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. firm — decided
  16. firm — a company
  17. net — for catching
  18. race — a contest
  19. spring — the season
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. spell — a short time
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. spring — of water
  24. firm — steady

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