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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: temple · fork · stem · game · can · bass · season · spell

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. season — in sport
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. spell — magic
  7. game — wild animals
  8. bass — low music
  9. can — to be able to
  10. stem — to come from
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. bass — the fish
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. game — a match
  18. can — a tin
  19. fork — in a road
  20. can — a tin
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. season — of the year
  23. spell — letters
  24. spell — a short time

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