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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. degree — from a university
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. season — of the year
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. prune — to trim
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. vault — a safe
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. stem — to come from
  13. prune — to trim
  14. object — an aim
  15. object — to protest
  16. current — of water
  17. object — a thing
  18. degree — temperature
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. season — in sport
  21. pit — a hole
  22. current — electric
  23. pit — in a race
  24. degree — an amount

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