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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. foot — a measure
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. stem — to come from
  8. mine — for digging
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. mate — a friend
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. spell — magic
  14. cell — in biology
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. mate — to breed
  17. cell — a phone
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. spell — letters
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. spell — a short time
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. mine — an explosive

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