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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 120 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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  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. mate — a partner
  3. mate — a friend
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. squash — to crush
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. mate — to breed
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. spell — letters
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. kick — in football
  16. wake — a trail
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. spell — a short time
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. squash — the sport
  21. spell — magic
  22. stem — to come from
  23. kick — with a leg
  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