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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: march · temple · root · lie · stem · pass · chest · pop

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. chest — a box
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. march — the month
  6. root — of a plant
  7. pass — a permit
  8. pop — soda
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. pop — to visit
  11. root — of a word
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. chest — of your body
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. root — the cause
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. chest — of your body
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. march — the month
  21. lie — to recline
  22. pop — music
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. march — music

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