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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 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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. squash — to crush
  3. march — the month
  4. stem — to come from
  5. rash — hasty
  6. degree — from a university
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. degree — temperature
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. march — the month
  12. spell — a short time
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. spell — magic
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. degree — an amount
  17. foot — a measure
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. rash — a series
  21. spell — letters
  22. squash — the sport
  23. march — music
  24. stem — of a plant

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