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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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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 · key · stem · last · can · face · perch · sharp

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. key — the most important part
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. face — to point toward
  5. last — to go on
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. last — final
  8. stem — to come from
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. key — for a lock
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. face — part of the head
  15. can — to be able to
  16. can — a tin
  17. perch — the fish
  18. sharp — clever
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. key — in music
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. last — finally
  24. face — to confront

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