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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  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. roll — a cake
  2. pass — a permit
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. charge — electricity
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. charge — in control
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. stem — to come from
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. band — a ring
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. shower — rain
  19. charge — a price
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. band — a music group
  23. roll — a list
  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