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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: snap · game · key · mine · temple · stock · stem · ruler

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. key — in music
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. stock — shares
  6. stem — to come from
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. key — for a lock
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. key — the most important part
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. stock — goods
  15. game — wild animals
  16. snap — to click
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. mine — for digging
  23. game — a match
  24. mine — an explosive

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