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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: stem · mug · rest · temple · bulb · key · court · spell

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. spell — letters
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. key — in music
  5. rest — what's left
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. court — of a king
  8. bulb — for light
  9. rest — what's left
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. spell — magic
  12. mug — a face
  13. spell — a short time
  14. rest — a break
  15. stem — to come from
  16. bulb — for light
  17. mug — a cup
  18. key — for a lock
  19. court — of law
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. mug — to rob
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. key — the most important part

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