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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. fall — the season
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. degree — temperature
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. wake — a trail
  8. mug — a face
  9. mug — a cup
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. degree — an amount
  12. degree — from a university
  13. spell — a short time
  14. stem — to come from
  15. spell — magic
  16. mug — to rob
  17. fall — to drop
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. branch — a division
  21. spell — letters
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. stem — a stem cell

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