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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. stem — to come from
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. pit — in a race
  5. chip — for betting
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. pit — a hole
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. clip — to cut
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. wax — to grow
  20. clip — for paper
  21. chip — to eat
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. clip — a video
  24. temple — side of the head

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