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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  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 — a stem cell
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. mug — a cup
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. face — to confront
  7. scale — size or range
  8. stock — shares
  9. perch — the fish
  10. face — to point toward
  11. scale — in music
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. shower — rain
  14. mug — to rob
  15. mug — a face
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. stem — to come from
  18. shower — to wash
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. stock — goods
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. face — part of the head
  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