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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. When was this ________________ built?
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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 — side of the head
  4. board — a committee
  5. field — farmland
  6. shower — rain
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. field — a subject
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. field — for sport
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. dip — to sink
  16. wind — moving air
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. board — to get on
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. shower — to wash
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. wind — moving air

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