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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. prune — to trim
  5. scale — size or range
  6. prune — to trim
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. net — for catching
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. scale — in music
  12. stem — to come from
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. bark — to shout
  15. present — the time now
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. net — after costs
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. net — in sport
  23. present — a gift
  24. stem — of a plant

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