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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: bear · temple · stand · stem · branch · kid · perch · net

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. bear — the animal
  3. stand — to bear
  4. stem — to come from
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. net — in sport
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. net — after costs
  11. net — for catching
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. kid — child
  20. perch — the fish
  21. kid — to tease
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. branch — a division
  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