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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. stem — to come from
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. cell — in biology
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. capital — a city
  11. cell — a phone
  12. present — the time now
  13. prune — to trim
  14. capital — money
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. present — there
  17. present — a gift
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. prune — to trim
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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