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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. stem — to come from
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. craft — boats
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. field — farmland
  8. tear — from crying
  9. ball — a great time
  10. tear — to rip
  11. field — for sport
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. ball — a dance
  14. craft — a skill
  15. field — a subject
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. tear — from crying
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  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