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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. stem — to come from
  3. deal — to handle
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. club — for golf
  10. prune — to trim
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. club — a group
  15. club — for dancing
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. dip — to sink
  20. prune — to trim
  21. band — a music group
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. band — a rubber band

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