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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 120 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 big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. cold — an illness
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. can — a tin
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. degree — temperature
  10. degree — from a university
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. face — to confront
  13. rest — what's left
  14. degree — an amount
  15. rest — a break
  16. face — part of the head
  17. rest — what's left
  18. stem — to come from
  19. face — to point toward
  20. can — a tin
  21. cold — not warm
  22. bark — to shout
  23. can — to be able to
  24. cold — the Cold War

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