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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: bowl · stem · leaves · craft · wound · clip · racket · temple

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. craft — a skill
  9. clip — to cut
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. craft — boats
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wound — an injury
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. clip — a video
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. clip — for paper
  24. temple — a place of worship

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