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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: bay · stem · cold · temple · rush · sharp · land · nail

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. land — a country
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. cold — not warm
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. sharp — clever
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. cold — an illness
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. land — ground
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. land — to come down
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. rush — hurry
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. stem — to come from

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