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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: kid · stem · pit · land · rock · ground · tube · temple

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. land — ground
  4. kid — to tease
  5. ground — crushed
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. ground — a position
  8. ground — the earth
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. rock — a stone
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. tube — the underground
  13. land — to come down
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. pit — in a race
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. pit — a hole
  19. land — a country
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. kid — child
  22. rock — music
  23. temple — side of the head
  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