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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. can — a tin
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. capital — money
  7. fine — all right
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. cell — a phone
  10. can — to be able to
  11. can — a tin
  12. cell — in biology
  13. fine — high quality
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. ball — a dance
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. capital — a city
  21. ball — a great time
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. mine — for digging
  24. cell — in a prison

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