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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: staff · mate · stem · net · firm · nail · temple · rash

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. firm — a company
  3. net — for catching
  4. staff — a stick
  5. net — after costs
  6. mate — a partner
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. rash — a series
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. mate — to breed
  11. staff — employees
  12. mate — a friend
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. firm — decided
  15. stem — to come from
  16. firm — steady
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. staff — employees
  19. rash — hasty
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. net — in sport
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. stem — a stem cell

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