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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. ground — crushed
  5. ground — a position
  6. bound — tied together
  7. bank — of a river
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. bound — obliged
  11. bank — for money
  12. ground — the earth
  13. bound — certain
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. track — to keep track
  16. track — a song
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. track — a path
  21. bank — for money
  22. snap — to click
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. trunk — of a tree

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