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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: trunk · stem · leaves · nail · date · march · season · temple

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  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. stem — of a plant
  2. stem — to come from
  3. date — the fruit
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. season — in sport
  13. season — of the year
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. march — music
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. march — the month
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. march — the month
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. leaves — to go away
  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