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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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. degree — temperature
  5. stem — to come from
  6. kick — in football
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. hand — in cards
  10. degree — an amount
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. rash — hasty
  13. bank — of a river
  14. degree — from a university
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. hand — help
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. bank — for money
  22. bank — for money
  23. tube — a container
  24. rash — a series

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