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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. bear — the animal
  3. key — for a lock
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. wind — moving air
  6. prune — to trim
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. prune — to trim
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. mug — a cup
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. key — the most important part
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. wind — moving air
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. mug — a face
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. mug — to rob
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. bear — the animal
  24. key — in music

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