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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: temple · foot · jam · file · content · wave · pit · stem

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. pit — in a race
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. stem — to come from
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. content — happy
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. file — a line of people
  17. pit — a hole
  18. content — the amount
  19. foot — a measure
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. file — a tool
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. file — a document

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