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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: mark · game · net · cell · kid · temple · rock · stem

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. kid — child
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. mark — a trace
  5. stem — to come from
  6. rock — music
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. net — for catching
  10. rock — a stone
  11. mark — a grade
  12. kid — to tease
  13. game — a match
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. net — in sport
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. cell — in biology
  21. net — after costs
  22. game — wild animals
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. cell — a phone

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