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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: patient · last · stem · tear · temple · deal · spell · perch

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. stem — to come from
  4. tear — from crying
  5. last — finally
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. tear — from crying
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. spell — a short time
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. last — final
  15. tear — to rip
  16. deal — to handle
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. last — to go on
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. spell — letters
  21. spell — magic
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. perch — the fish
  24. deal — a big deal

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