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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. wound — an injury
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. stem — to come from
  6. craft — a skill
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. march — the month
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. march — the month
  15. shower — to wash
  16. march — music
  17. shower — rain
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. craft — boats
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. wound — an injury
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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