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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. mug — a face
  3. wake — a trail
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. mug — a cup
  6. rest — what's left
  7. game — wild animals
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. field — farmland
  10. game — a match
  11. rest — what's left
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. field — a subject
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. field — for sport
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. rest — a break
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. stem — to come from
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. mug — to rob

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