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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: mate · court · stem · perch · temple · mark · wound · firm

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wound — an injury
  4. court — of a king
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. mark — a trace
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. mate — to breed
  10. firm — a company
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. firm — steady
  14. court — of law
  15. perch — the fish
  16. firm — decided
  17. mate — a partner
  18. court — for sport
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. mate — a friend
  22. stem — to come from
  23. mark — a grade
  24. perch — for a bird

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