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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. cold — an illness
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. can — to be able to
  8. mine — for digging
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. can — a tin
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. cold — not warm
  16. bark — to shout
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. stem — to come from
  19. foot — a measure
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. can — a tin
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. temple — a place of worship

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