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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. degree — temperature
  6. lean — thin
  7. spring — of water
  8. degree — an amount
  9. stock — shares
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. stock — goods
  13. spring — the season
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. lean — to bend
  22. degree — from a university
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. spring — a coil

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