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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. land — ground
  4. wound — an injury
  5. stand — to bear
  6. land — to come down
  7. prune — to trim
  8. present — the time now
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. land — a country
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. present — a gift
  15. wound — an injury
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. stem — to come from
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. present — there
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. prune — to trim
  24. prune — the fruit

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