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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.

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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. rush — hurry
  3. wake — a trail
  4. squash — the sport
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. bass — low music
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. squash — to crush
  13. bank — for money
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. cold — not warm
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. stem — to come from
  20. bank — for money
  21. bank — of a river
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. cold — an illness
  24. bass — the fish

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