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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. club — a group
  3. kid — to tease
  4. mate — to breed
  5. kid — child
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. mate — a friend
  8. stem — to come from
  9. pit — in a race
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. mate — a partner
  12. mark — a trace
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. pit — a hole
  15. club — for dancing
  16. degree — temperature
  17. club — for golf
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. degree — an amount
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. plane — a tool
  23. mark — a grade
  24. degree — from a university

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