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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. degree — from a university
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. mark — a trace
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. staff — a stick
  7. mark — a grade
  8. staff — employees
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. stem — to come from
  11. degree — an amount
  12. staff — employees
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. bark — to shout
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. degree — temperature

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