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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.

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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: stem · rash · pit · last · rush · temple · bear · branch

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. stem — to come from
  5. branch — a division
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. last — finally
  10. bear — the animal
  11. last — to go on
  12. rush — hurry
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. bear — the animal
  15. rash — hasty
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. last — final
  20. pit — a hole
  21. pit — in a race
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. branch — of a tree

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