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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 · temple · cue · racket · present · squash · jam · content

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. content — happy
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. content — the amount
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. present — the time now
  12. cue — for pool
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. stem — to come from
  16. squash — to crush
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. cue — a hint
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. cue — a signal
  21. present — there
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. present — a gift

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