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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. ground — the earth
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. bark — to shout
  6. ground — a position
  7. land — ground
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. degree — temperature
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. degree — from a university
  12. bank — of a river
  13. bank — for money
  14. pass — a permit
  15. land — to come down
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. bank — for money
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. land — a country
  20. ground — crushed
  21. press — to push
  22. press — a publisher
  23. degree — an amount
  24. press — newspapers

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