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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 · mouse · deal · bound · race · press · temple · court

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. court — of a king
  3. bound — certain
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. bound — tied together
  6. race — humankind
  7. court — of law
  8. press — to push
  9. race — a contest
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. press — a publisher
  13. race — the arms race
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. press — newspapers
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. deal — to handle
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. stem — to come from
  23. bound — obliged
  24. court — for sport

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