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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. field — a subject
  3. field — for sport
  4. field — farmland
  5. row — a line
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. rash — hasty
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. rash — a series
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. mug — to rob
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. mug — a face
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. shower — rain
  16. stem — to come from
  17. track — to keep track
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. mug — a cup
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. row — to paddle
  22. track — a path
  23. track — a song
  24. shower — to wash

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