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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.

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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. drill — army training
  4. craft — boats
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. drill — the tool
  7. capital — money
  8. degree — an amount
  9. stem — to come from
  10. craft — a skill
  11. degree — from a university
  12. drill — a practice
  13. tube — the underground
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. capital — a city
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. tube — a container
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. temple — side of the head

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