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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 120 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: pass · temple · kick · snap · drill · stem · firm · degree

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. drill — the tool
  3. snap — to click
  4. firm — a company
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. firm — steady
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. drill — a practice
  11. degree — from a university
  12. degree — temperature
  13. degree — an amount
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. drill — army training
  16. stem — to come from
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. kick — in football
  23. firm — decided
  24. stem — a stem cell

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