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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. craft — a skill
  4. scale — size or range
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. object — to protest
  7. degree — an amount
  8. object — a thing
  9. bat — the animal
  10. snap — to click
  11. degree — temperature
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. scale — in music
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. toast — bread
  21. object — an aim
  22. degree — from a university
  23. craft — boats
  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