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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: stem · tube · bat · can · stick · face · field · temple

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. can — a tin
  3. tube — a container
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. face — part of the head
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. field — for sport
  9. face — to point toward
  10. tube — the underground
  11. field — a subject
  12. face — to confront
  13. bat — the animal
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. stem — to come from
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. can — a tin
  19. can — to be able to
  20. field — farmland
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. temple — a place of worship

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