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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: plane · chest · stand · stem · content · bowl · bound · temple

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. chest — of your body
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. stand — to bear
  5. chest — a box
  6. stem — to come from
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. chest — of your body
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. content — the amount
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. bound — tied together
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. bound — certain
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. plane — a tool
  23. bound — obliged
  24. content — happy

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