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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: coach · spell · temple · ball · content · stem · mine · safe

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. stem — to come from
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. ball — a great time
  6. ball — a dance
  7. spell — letters
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. spell — a short time
  13. content — the amount
  14. mine — for digging
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. spell — magic

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