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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. mate — a friend
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. mate — to breed
  5. bound — tied together
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. mate — a partner
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. stem — to come from
  13. bound — certain
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. bound — obliged
  16. craft — a skill
  17. last — to go on
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. craft — boats
  20. wind — moving air
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. last — finally
  23. last — final
  24. wind — moving air

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