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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. pop — to visit
  6. club — for dancing
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. cold — not warm
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. stock — shares
  14. stock — goods
  15. cold — an illness
  16. bore — to drill
  17. bore — to tire
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. club — for golf
  20. pop — music
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. pop — soda
  23. club — a group
  24. stock — a soup base

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