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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: stem · wake · file · temple · calf · stock · content · net

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. net — in sport
  3. wake — a trail
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. stock — shares
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. file — a document
  8. net — for catching
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. net — after costs
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. content — happy
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. file — a line of people
  18. stock — goods
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. content — the amount
  24. stem — to come from

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