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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. can — a tin
  6. degree — an amount
  7. stem — to come from
  8. date — the fruit
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. can — a tin
  11. branch — a division
  12. can — to be able to
  13. bound — certain
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. sharp — clever
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. charge — in control
  19. bound — tied together
  20. bound — obliged
  21. degree — from a university
  22. charge — a price
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. charge — electricity

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