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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: bear · wave · leaves · chip · stem · temple · tear · wind

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. stem — to come from
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. bear — the animal
  7. tear — from crying
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. chip — for betting
  13. tear — from crying
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. tear — to rip
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. wind — moving air
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. wind — moving air
  23. chip — to eat
  24. wave — of the sea

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