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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: rock · season · mark · pound · stem · temple · board · kid

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. board — a committee
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. pound — a weight
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. season — in sport
  7. season — of the year
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. kid — child
  11. mark — a grade
  12. mark — a trace
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. rock — a stone
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. kid — to tease
  20. rock — music
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. board — to get on
  24. stem — to come from

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