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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: wave · rock · stem · rash · saw · clip · kid · temple

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. rash — a series
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. stem — to come from
  7. rash — hasty
  8. clip — a video
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. saw — the tool
  12. clip — to cut
  13. clip — for paper
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. saw — the tool
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. rock — a stone
  22. kid — to tease
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. rock — 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