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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.

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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: wound · lie · can · kid · pass · temple · stem · mate

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. can — a tin
  4. mate — to breed
  5. lie — to recline
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. mate — a friend
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. wound — an injury
  14. stem — to come from
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. can — a tin
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. kid — to tease
  21. can — to be able to
  22. wound — an injury
  23. pass — a permit
  24. kid — child

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