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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. wound — an injury
  3. rush — hurry
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. tear — to rip
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. stem — to come from
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. tear — from crying
  17. tear — from crying
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. net — after costs
  21. net — in sport
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. net — for catching
  24. stem — a stem cell

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