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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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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: wave · row · hide · jam · stem · temple · band · bass

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. band — a ring
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. row — a line
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. bass — the fish
  9. bass — low music
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. row — to paddle
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. band — a music group
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. temple — a place of worship

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