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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. stem — to come from
  3. spring — a coil
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. spring — the season
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. mug — a cup
  9. current — of water
  10. rash — hasty
  11. current — happening now
  12. rash — a series
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. degree — temperature
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. degree — from a university
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. spring — of water
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. mug — to rob
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. current — electric
  24. mug — a face

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