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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: wake · bark · cell · temple · stem · last · suit · dip

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. cell — in biology
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. bark — to shout
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. suit — clothes
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. cell — a phone
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. stem — to come from
  12. suit — to fit
  13. suit — in cards
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. last — final
  17. wake — a trail
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. dip — to sink
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. last — to go on
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. last — finally

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