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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. stem — to come from
  3. bank — of a river
  4. bank — for money
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. scale — size or range
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. pass — a permit
  11. bank — for money
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. pit — a hole
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. degree — temperature
  17. scale — in music
  18. pit — in a race
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. mine — for digging
  21. degree — an amount
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bear — the animal

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