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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: temple · pound · jam · bat · nail · land · court · stem

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. court — for sport
  5. land — ground
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. bat — the animal
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. pound — a weight
  11. land — a country
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. court — of a king
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. land — to come down
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. stem — to come from
  20. court — of law
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. bat — for baseball

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