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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. degree — temperature
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. stem — to come from
  8. land — a country
  9. stock — goods
  10. land — ground
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. land — to come down
  13. kid — child
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. stock — shares
  17. degree — an amount
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. degree — from a university
  20. kid — to tease
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. stock — a soup base

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