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

Word bank: race · wake · stem · cap · kid · temple

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. kid — child
  6. cap — of ice
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. race — a contest
  9. stem — to come from
  10. race — humankind
  11. cap — a hat
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. kid — to tease
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. cap — a lid
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. wake — a trail

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