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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. bound — tied together
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. bound — obliged
  10. drill — army training
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. drill — the tool
  13. stem — to come from
  14. fork — in a road
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. fine — all right
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. drill — a practice
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. bound — certain
  23. fine — high quality
  24. fine — a penalty

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