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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 120 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: stem · rush · object · wind · last · bound · temple · leaves

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. rush — hurry
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. object — a thing
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. bound — obliged
  10. last — final
  11. wind — moving air
  12. bound — certain
  13. last — to go on
  14. object — an aim
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. last — finally
  19. wind — moving air
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. object — to protest
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. bound — tied together
  24. stem — a stem cell

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