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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. prune — to trim
  4. spell — a short time
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. spell — letters
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. stem — to come from
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. spell — magic
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. prune — to trim
  19. board — to get on
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. mark — a trace
  22. mark — a grade
  23. board — a committee
  24. arm — part of the body

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