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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
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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: last · stem · wake · cell · mine · roll · temple · stock

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. cell — a phone
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. roll — a cake
  8. last — final
  9. mine — for digging
  10. wake — a trail
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. last — finally
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. stem — to come from
  15. stock — goods
  16. stock — shares
  17. cell — in biology
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. last — to go on
  21. roll — a list
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. stem — of a plant

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