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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 116 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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. stem — to come from
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. degree — temperature
  5. last — finally
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. degree — from a university
  8. can — a tin
  9. last — final
  10. degree — an amount
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. firm — steady
  13. firm — decided
  14. rush — hurry
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. wound — an injury
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. wound — an injury
  22. last — to go on
  23. can — to be able to
  24. firm — a company

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