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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: court · rock · fine · fall · temple · root · pass · stem

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. fine — high quality
  3. fall — the season
  4. fine — all right
  5. fall — to drop
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. rock — a stone
  8. court — of a king
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. root — the cause
  11. fall — to drop
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. court — for sport
  14. root — of a plant
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. root — of a word
  17. rock — music
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. court — of law
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. stem — to come from
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. pass — a permit
  24. rock — to move gently

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