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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 120 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: temple · chip · rest · tube · stem · land · safe · ground

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. rest — what's left
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. land — to come down
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. rest — what's left
  9. land — a country
  10. stem — to come from
  11. tube — the underground
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. chip — to eat
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. ground — the earth
  16. chip — for betting
  17. tube — a container
  18. rest — a break
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. ground — a position
  24. ground — crushed

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