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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · content · wound · staff · root · temple · fine · pass

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. content — the amount
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. content — happy
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. staff — employees
  7. staff — employees
  8. mate — to breed
  9. pass — a permit
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. mate — a partner
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. mate — a friend
  14. staff — a stick
  15. root — of a plant
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. wound — an injury
  19. fine — high quality
  20. root — of a word
  21. fine — all right
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. root — the cause

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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