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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. stem — to come from
  4. current — happening now
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. last — to go on
  7. mate — to breed
  8. last — finally
  9. charge — electricity
  10. bank — for money
  11. bank — of a river
  12. last — final
  13. chest — of your body
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. current — electric
  16. mate — a partner
  17. mate — a friend
  18. current — of water
  19. bank — for money
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. chest — of your body
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. chest — a box
  24. charge — in control

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