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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. spring — the season
  3. spring — of water
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. spring — a coil
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. lie — to recline
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. stem — to come from
  23. mine — for digging
  24. bay — a horse colour

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