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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: stem · bay · wind · temple · cell · track

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. track — a song
  4. cell — in biology
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. wind — moving air
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. track — a path
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. track — to keep track
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. cell — a phone
  14. stem — to come from
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. wind — moving air
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. temple — a place of worship

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