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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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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: can · stem · hide · temple · degree · kid · cell · prune

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. kid — to tease
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. cell — a phone
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. can — a tin
  12. degree — from a university
  13. can — to be able to
  14. stem — to come from
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. degree — an amount
  17. prune — to trim
  18. prune — to trim
  19. cell — in biology
  20. can — a tin
  21. degree — temperature
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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