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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. degree — temperature
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. can — to be able to
  5. shower — rain
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. staff — a stick
  10. staff — employees
  11. can — a tin
  12. field — a subject
  13. shower — to wash
  14. degree — from a university
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. field — for sport
  17. stem — to come from
  18. pitch — completely
  19. field — farmland
  20. can — a tin
  21. wind — moving air
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. degree — an amount
  24. staff — employees

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