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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: sharp · stem · temple · wake · present · march · bay · degree

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. march — the month
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. stem — to come from
  9. present — the time now
  10. wake — a trail
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. present — there
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. march — the month
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. march — music
  19. degree — an amount
  20. degree — from a university
  21. present — a gift
  22. degree — temperature
  23. sharp — clever
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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