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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. drill — the tool
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. mine — for digging
  5. stem — to come from
  6. pass — a permit
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. lean — thin
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. lean — to bend
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. drill — a practice
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. toast — bread
  24. mine — belonging to me

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