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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 116 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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. lean — to bend
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. degree — temperature
  5. present — there
  6. hand — help
  7. lean — thin
  8. stock — goods
  9. present — the time now
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. wake — a trail
  13. degree — from a university
  14. bear — the animal
  15. stock — shares
  16. present — a gift
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. degree — an amount
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bear — to put up with
  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