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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · foot · cap · bear · bore · hand · stem · spring

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. bore — to tire
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. bear — the animal
  8. cap — of ice
  9. bear — the animal
  10. cap — a lid
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. spring — of water
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. stem — to come from
  16. hand — help
  17. bore — to drill
  18. foot — a measure
  19. spring — a coil
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. cap — a hat
  22. spring — the season
  23. hand — in cards
  24. temple — side of the head

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