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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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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: wound · wake · stem · spell · temple · rock · fan · prune

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. stem — to come from
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. wound — an injury
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. spell — magic
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. spell — letters
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. rock — a stone
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. wound — an injury
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. rock — music
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. spell — a short time
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. wake — a trail
  23. prune — to trim
  24. prune — to trim

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