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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. spell — letters
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. spring — of water
  6. root — of a plant
  7. race — humankind
  8. plane — a tool
  9. root — of a word
  10. spell — magic
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. spell — a short time
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. race — the arms race
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. root — the cause
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. spring — the season
  20. race — a contest
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. spring — a coil
  24. bay — a horse colour

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