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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  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. cell — a phone
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. shower — rain
  4. prune — to trim
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. land — a country
  7. mine — for digging
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. prune — to trim
  10. cell — in biology
  11. shower — to wash
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. fork — in a road
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. land — to come down
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  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