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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: bass · wake · temple · foot · spell · trunk · stem · court

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  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. wake — a trail
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. bass — low music
  5. stem — to come from
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. court — for sport
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. spell — letters
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. foot — a measure
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. bass — the fish
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. spell — magic
  22. court — of a king
  23. court — of law
  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