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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. season — of the year
  6. stem — to come from
  7. lean — to bend
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. saw — the tool
  10. bulb — for light
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. lean — thin
  17. pitch — completely
  18. saw — the tool
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. bulb — for light
  22. season — in sport
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. season — to add flavour

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