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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. key — in music
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. key — for a lock
  6. tear — from crying
  7. ground — the earth
  8. cell — in biology
  9. cell — a phone
  10. key — the most important part
  11. bank — of a river
  12. tear — from crying
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. tear — to rip
  15. race — humankind
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. race — a contest
  18. bank — for money
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. bank — for money
  21. race — the arms race
  22. ground — a position
  23. stem — to come from
  24. ground — crushed

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