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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. degree — an amount
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. last — to go on
  6. ground — crushed
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. bore — to drill
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. last — final
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. stem — to come from
  14. bore — to tire
  15. degree — from a university
  16. ground — a position
  17. ground — the earth
  18. degree — temperature
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. bank — of a river
  22. bank — for money
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. bank — for money

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