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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: field · can · temple · pop · mine · rest · stem · squash

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  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. can — a tin
  2. mine — for digging
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. squash — to crush
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. field — farmland
  7. pop — to visit
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. pop — soda
  10. rest — what's left
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. field — for sport
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. squash — the sport
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. field — a subject
  18. can — to be able to
  19. can — a tin
  20. rest — what's left
  21. rest — a break
  22. stem — to come from
  23. pop — music
  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