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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. degree — temperature
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. mark — a grade
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. degree — from a university
  10. rule — government
  11. mark — a trace
  12. cell — in biology
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. cell — a phone
  15. rule — a law
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. rush — hurry
  18. pop — to visit
  19. pop — music
  20. prune — to trim
  21. prune — to trim
  22. degree — an amount
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. stem — to come from

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