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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: land · cap · bound · kid · temple · pit · stem · craft

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. land — ground
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. craft — a skill
  8. kid — child
  9. bound — tied together
  10. craft — boats
  11. land — a country
  12. stem — to come from
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. bound — certain
  16. cap — a hat
  17. pit — in a race
  18. cap — a lid
  19. land — to come down
  20. kid — to tease
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. cap — of ice
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. bound — obliged

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