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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. season — of the year
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. wake — a trail
  8. stem — to come from
  9. hand — help
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. track — a song
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. track — to keep track
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. hand — in cards
  19. wax — to grow
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. lie — to recline
  22. track — a path
  23. season — in sport
  24. stem — a stem cell

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