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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: bat · temple · branch · ball · rule · mug · fine · stem

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  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. stem — to come from
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. rule — government
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. ball — a great time
  7. rule — a law
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. mug — a face
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. mug — to rob
  14. mug — a cup
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. branch — a division
  17. fine — high quality
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. bat — the animal
  21. fine — all right
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. ball — a dance
  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