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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. last — to go on
  4. plane — a tool
  5. land — to come down
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. lie — to recline
  10. land — ground
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. last — final
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. land — a country
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. branch — a division
  19. stem — to come from
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. stem — a stem cell

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