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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. wind — moving air
  3. season — in sport
  4. toast — bread
  5. degree — an amount
  6. degree — from a university
  7. wind — moving air
  8. degree — temperature
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. stock — goods
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. season — of the year
  16. stock — shares
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. foot — a measure
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. stem — to come from
  24. wind — to turn a key

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