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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: bound · bay · pop · stem · tear · ball · temple · row

  1. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. tear — from crying
  4. ball — a dance
  5. pop — music
  6. row — a line
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. stem — to come from
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. row — to paddle
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. bound — tied together
  14. tear — to rip
  15. pop — soda
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. pop — to visit
  19. bound — certain
  20. tear — from crying
  21. bound — obliged
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. ball — a great time

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