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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. degree — temperature
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. file — a tool
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. hand — in cards
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. file — a document
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. stem — to come from
  18. hand — help
  19. file — a line of people
  20. degree — an amount
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. cabinet — ministers

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