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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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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: band · ball · cap · bat · ground · stem · temple · mine

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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. ball — a dance
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. cap — a lid
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. mine — for digging
  9. band — a music group
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. ground — the earth
  13. ball — a great time
  14. cap — a hat
  15. ground — crushed
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. band — a ring
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. cap — of ice
  21. ground — a position
  22. bat — the animal
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. bat — for baseball

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