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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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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: temple · chip · lash · cold · tear · spell · stem · drill

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. spell — magic
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. chip — for betting
  6. tear — to rip
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. stem — to come from
  9. chip — to eat
  10. spell — letters
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. drill — a practice
  14. drill — the tool
  15. cold — an illness
  16. cold — not warm
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. spell — a short time
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. tear — from crying
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. drill — army training
  24. tear — from crying

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