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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: stem · fan · ground · roll · temple · rash · last · bore

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. last — to go on
  3. ground — a position
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. roll — a list
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. ground — the earth
  8. last — final
  9. last — finally
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. bore — to drill
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. rash — a series
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. ground — crushed
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. bore — to tire
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. rash — hasty
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. roll — a cake

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