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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: last · trunk · stem · degree · spell · mate · wake · temple

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. spell — a short time
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. last — to go on
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. last — final
  10. degree — from a university
  11. last — finally
  12. wake — a trail
  13. mate — to breed
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. spell — magic
  17. mate — a friend
  18. stem — to come from
  19. spell — letters
  20. degree — temperature
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. mate — a partner

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