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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: deal · straw · content · pit · temple · stem · band · firm

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. firm — a company
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. band — a music group
  5. firm — decided
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. content — the amount
  8. pit — in a race
  9. pit — a hole
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. firm — steady
  16. deal — to handle
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. content — happy
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. band — a ring

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