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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.

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: stem · mine · charge · staff · bowl · last · temple · court

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. mine — for digging
  3. last — to go on
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. staff — employees
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. staff — a stick
  9. staff — employees
  10. charge — electricity
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. charge — a price
  14. stem — to come from
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. court — of a king
  18. charge — in control
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. court — of law
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. last — finally
  23. court — for sport
  24. bowl — a dish

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