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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. mate — a partner
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. stem — to come from
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. mark — a grade
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. perch — the fish
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. mark — a trace
  21. mate — a friend
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. mine — for digging
  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