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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 120 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: mate · plane · bass · net · shower · temple · stem · pass

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. mate — to breed
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. shower — rain
  7. mate — a friend
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. net — in sport
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. net — for catching
  12. stem — to come from
  13. net — after costs
  14. plane — a tool
  15. shower — to wash
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. mate — a partner
  19. bass — the fish
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. bass — low music
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. temple — side of the head

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