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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: hand · mouse · row · stick · fork · scale · temple · stem

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  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. hand — in cards
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. hand — help
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. row — a line
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. scale — in music
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. scale — size or range
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. stem — to come from
  22. fork — in a road
  23. row — to paddle
  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