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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. drill — the tool
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. row — to paddle
  6. drill — a practice
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. stem — to come from
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. row — a line
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. capital — money
  16. ball — a dance
  17. ball — a great time
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. capital — a city
  23. drill — army training
  24. temple — a place of worship

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