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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. stem — to come from
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. wake — a trail
  6. spring — the season
  7. mug — a cup
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. foot — a measure
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. mug — a face
  12. band — a music group
  13. mug — to rob
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. spring — a coil
  18. spring — of water
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. band — a ring

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