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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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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: stem · temple · row · last · net · stock · bank · ball

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. net — for catching
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. row — a line
  5. ball — a great time
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. net — after costs
  9. row — to paddle
  10. bank — of a river
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. bank — for money
  13. last — to go on
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. net — in sport
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. stock — goods
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. last — final
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. ball — a dance
  22. bank — for money
  23. stem — to come from
  24. stock — shares

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