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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. degree — temperature
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. drill — a practice
  7. track — a path
  8. spring — of water
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. drill — the tool
  11. spring — the season
  12. spring — a coil
  13. degree — an amount
  14. stem — to come from
  15. pit — a hole
  16. track — a song
  17. track — to keep track
  18. degree — from a university
  19. row — to paddle
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. row — a line
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. pit — in a race
  24. stem — of a plant

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