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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. stem — to come from
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. hand — in cards
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. hand — help
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. lie — to recline
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. sharp — clever
  23. rush — hurry
  24. stem — of a plant

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