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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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. dip — to sink
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. capital — money
  7. plane — a tool
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. vault — a safe
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. stem — to come from
  15. mine — for digging
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. capital — a city
  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