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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. rash — hasty
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. chest — of your body
  6. degree — an amount
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. chest — a box
  10. rash — a series
  11. chest — of your body
  12. degree — temperature
  13. bank — for money
  14. ball — a dance
  15. mark — a grade
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. degree — from a university
  19. pass — a permit
  20. bank — for money
  21. mark — a trace
  22. bank — of a river
  23. ball — a great time
  24. pass — to succeed

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