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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: kid · staff · roll · last · pass · stem · leaves · temple

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. kid — child
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. last — to go on
  6. last — finally
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. pass — a permit
  11. staff — employees
  12. roll — a cake
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. kid — to tease
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. staff — a stick
  18. last — final
  19. stem — to come from
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. staff — employees
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. leaves — of a tree

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