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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. last — finally
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. file — a document
  6. pop — to visit
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. stock — goods
  11. last — to go on
  12. file — a tool
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. stock — shares
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. last — final
  18. file — a line of people
  19. pop — music
  20. pop — soda
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. stem — to come from
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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