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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. vault — a safe
  6. stem — to come from
  7. content — the amount
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. plane — a tool
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. season — in sport
  13. content — happy
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. season — of the year
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. temple — side of the head

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