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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. tear — to rip
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. mate — a partner
  5. bank — for money
  6. tear — from crying
  7. tear — from crying
  8. shower — to wash
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. race — the arms race
  12. bank — of a river
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. stem — to come from
  17. shower — rain
  18. perch — the fish
  19. race — a contest
  20. race — humankind
  21. bank — for money
  22. mate — a friend
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. temple — a place of worship

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