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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: ground · dip · temple · cell · stem · craft · press · drill

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. stem — to come from
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. drill — army training
  5. ground — the earth
  6. ground — a position
  7. ground — crushed
  8. cell — a phone
  9. dip — to sink
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. press — newspapers
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. drill — the tool
  15. press — to push
  16. drill — a practice
  17. craft — a skill
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. press — a publisher
  23. cell — in biology
  24. temple — side of the head

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