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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: cold · temple · firm · coach · craft · stem · last · lean

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. cold — an illness
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. firm — steady
  6. stem — to come from
  7. last — to go on
  8. lean — thin
  9. last — finally
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. craft — a skill
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. lean — to bend
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. firm — decided
  17. last — final
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. craft — boats
  20. cold — not warm
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. cold — the Cold War

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