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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. face — to point toward
  5. clip — for paper
  6. lie — to recline
  7. tube — a container
  8. stem — to come from
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. last — finally
  11. clip — a video
  12. last — to go on
  13. tube — the underground
  14. last — final
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. mug — to rob
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. face — to confront
  21. mug — a face
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. mug — a cup
  24. face — part of the head

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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