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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: rest · straw · temple · pound · cap · fan · fork · stem

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  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. temple — a place of worship
  2. cap — a hat
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. rest — what's left
  6. cap — of ice
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. fork — in a road
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. rest — what's left
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. stem — to come from
  20. rest — a break
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. pound — a weight
  23. cap — a lid
  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