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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. degree — an amount
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. shower — to wash
  5. degree — temperature
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. staff — employees
  11. wind — moving air
  12. staff — employees
  13. shower — rain
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. degree — from a university
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. wind — moving air
  23. staff — a stick
  24. kick — in football

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