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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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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: leaves · bore · temple · cell · pass · stem · bowl · bulb

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. cell — in biology
  3. cell — a phone
  4. bore — to tire
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. bore — to drill
  7. stem — to come from
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. pass — a permit
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. bulb — for light
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. bulb — for light
  24. cell — in a prison

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