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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: key · temple · rest · cell · trunk · pass · object · stem

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  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. rest — what's left
  2. object — to protest
  3. cell — a phone
  4. key — for a lock
  5. object — an aim
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. rest — a break
  8. pass — a permit
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. stem — to come from
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. object — a thing
  15. cell — in biology
  16. key — the most important part
  17. rest — what's left
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. key — in music
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. temple — side of the head
  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