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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: temple · pop · stem · chest · field · net · bay · saw

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. chest — of your body
  3. saw — the tool
  4. field — farmland
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. stem — to come from
  7. net — in sport
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. chest — a box
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. net — after costs
  12. saw — the tool
  13. field — a subject
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. pop — soda
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. field — for sport
  18. pop — to visit
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. pop — music
  22. chest — of your body
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. stem — of a plant

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