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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. shower — to wash
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. stem — to come from
  5. charge — electricity
  6. charge — in control
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. net — after costs
  10. net — for catching
  11. charge — a price
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. shower — rain
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. deal — to handle
  18. file — a line of people
  19. net — in sport
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. file — a document
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. file — a tool

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