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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. track — a song
  4. content — the amount
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. degree — from a university
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. mark — a trace
  9. content — happy
  10. track — a path
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. stem — to come from
  13. cap — of ice
  14. degree — temperature
  15. cap — a hat
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. track — to keep track
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. cap — a lid
  21. degree — an amount
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. mark — a grade
  24. bowl — to roll

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