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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: game · stem · firm · prune · dip · temple · last · court

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. prune — to trim
  3. game — wild animals
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. court — for sport
  8. court — of a king
  9. firm — steady
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. firm — decided
  12. firm — a company
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. prune — to trim
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. last — final
  18. last — finally
  19. stem — to come from
  20. last — to go on
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. dip — to sink
  24. court — of law

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