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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 met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. fall — the season
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. band — a ring
  7. bore — to tire
  8. object — a thing
  9. stem — to come from
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. mine — for digging
  13. bulb — for light
  14. object — an aim
  15. bore — to drill
  16. fall — to drop
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. band — a music group
  22. object — to protest
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. fall — to drop

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