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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. track — to keep track
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. land — a country
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. track — a song
  10. stem — to come from
  11. bank — for money
  12. pit — a hole
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. plane — a tool
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. land — to come down
  17. bank — for money
  18. rash — a series
  19. track — a path
  20. rash — hasty
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. pit — in a race
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. land — ground

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