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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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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: temple · foot · tear · stem · pop · row · last · track

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. 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. last — finally
  2. last — final
  3. last — to go on
  4. track — a song
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. row — a line
  7. track — a path
  8. pop — to visit
  9. pop — soda
  10. pop — music
  11. tear — from crying
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. stem — to come from
  15. track — to keep track
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. row — to paddle
  18. tear — from crying
  19. tear — to rip
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. foot — a measure
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. 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