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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. ball — a great time
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. game — a match
  12. ball — a dance
  13. stem — to come from
  14. perch — the fish
  15. net — in sport
  16. spring — the season
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. spring — a coil
  19. net — for catching
  20. net — after costs
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. spring — of water
  23. game — wild animals
  24. ball — a round shape

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