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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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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 · cap · jam · temple · snap · roll · stand · file

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. snap — to click
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. cap — a hat
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. roll — a cake
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. stand — to bear
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. file — a line of people
  16. roll — a list
  17. file — a tool
  18. stem — to come from
  19. cap — a lid
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. file — a document
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. stem — a stem cell

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