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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. ball — a dance
  3. track — a path
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. season — in sport
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. lie — to recline
  9. track — a song
  10. season — of the year
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. ball — a great time
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. track — to keep track
  19. perch — the fish
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. stem — to come from

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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