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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: cold · temple · mate · trunk · cue · stock · mark · stem

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. stock — shares
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. cue — a signal
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. mark — a grade
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. cue — for pool
  12. mate — a friend
  13. mark — a trace
  14. stock — goods
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. stem — to come from
  17. cold — an illness
  18. cue — a hint
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. mate — a partner
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. cold — not warm
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. mark — to pay attention

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