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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wound — an injury
  4. track — to keep track
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. face — part of the head
  7. track — a song
  8. spring — of water
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. spring — the season
  11. dip — to sink
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. track — a path
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. spring — a coil
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. face — to point toward
  20. face — to confront
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. dip — to dunk

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