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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: nail · firm · band · stem · temple · spring · degree · perch

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. spring — of water
  5. degree — from a university
  6. spring — the season
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. spring — a coil
  12. degree — temperature
  13. degree — an amount
  14. stem — to come from
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. band — a ring
  17. band — a music group
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. firm — decided
  20. perch — the fish
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. firm — a company
  24. firm — steady

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