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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: last · stem · firm · kid · bore · stock · rest · temple

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. last — final
  3. rest — a break
  4. firm — a company
  5. bore — to drill
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. kid — to tease
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. firm — decided
  12. last — finally
  13. stem — to come from
  14. rest — what's left
  15. rest — what's left
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. last — to go on
  18. stock — shares
  19. firm — steady
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. kid — child
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. stock — goods

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