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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. key — in music
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. cold — an illness
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. prune — to trim
  12. tube — the underground
  13. tube — a container
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. key — the most important part
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. stock — shares
  19. stock — goods
  20. prune — to trim
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. stem — to come from
  23. key — for a lock
  24. cold — not warm

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