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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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. charge — electricity
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. perch — the fish
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. charge — a price
  9. wind — moving air
  10. fork — in a road
  11. present — a gift
  12. staff — employees
  13. staff — a stick
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. charge — in control
  16. present — there
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. wind — moving air
  23. stem — to come from
  24. present — the time now

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