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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. deal — to handle
  7. game — wild animals
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. lean — thin
  13. row — to paddle
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. game — a match
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. row — a line
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. lean — to bend
  22. stem — to come from
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. lean — to rest against

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