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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. saw — the tool
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. stem — to come from
  5. object — an aim
  6. saw — the tool
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. field — a subject
  10. field — farmland
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. degree — temperature
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. degree — an amount
  15. object — a thing
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. object — to protest
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. field — for sport
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. wake — a trail

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