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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. degree — from a university
  6. ground — a position
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. ground — the earth
  9. row — a line
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. degree — temperature
  12. stand — to bear
  13. degree — an amount
  14. stem — to come from
  15. firm — a company
  16. cell — in biology
  17. ground — crushed
  18. perch — the fish
  19. row — to paddle
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. firm — steady
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. cell — a phone
  24. row — a quarrel

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