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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.

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: rock · wound · stem · spring · pit · fine · court · temple

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. spring — the season
  6. court — of a king
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. rock — music
  9. pit — a hole
  10. spring — a coil
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. wound — an injury
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. pit — in a race
  15. court — for sport
  16. stem — to come from
  17. court — of law
  18. wound — an injury
  19. fine — high quality
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. spring — of water
  23. rock — a stone
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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