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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mate · land · face · mine · temple · calf · snap · stem

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. stem — to come from
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. mate — a partner
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. land — to come down
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. mine — for digging
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. land — ground
  13. land — a country
  14. face — to point toward
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. face — to confront
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. snap — to click
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. mate — a friend
  23. mate — to breed
  24. face — part 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