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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. tear — from crying
  3. staff — employees
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. chair — a leader
  6. staff — employees
  7. staff — a stick
  8. current — happening now
  9. tube — the underground
  10. tear — from crying
  11. current — of water
  12. current — electric
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. tube — a container
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. stem — to come from
  24. tear — to rip

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