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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. stem — to come from
  4. charge — in control
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. charge — a price
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. net — after costs
  10. sharp — clever
  11. charge — electricity
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. prune — to trim
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. lean — to bend
  17. net — in sport
  18. net — for catching
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. lean — thin
  21. prune — to trim
  22. rule — a law
  23. rule — government
  24. rule — to rule out

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