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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. field — a subject
  3. stem — to come from
  4. firm — a company
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. firm — decided
  7. object — an aim
  8. field — for sport
  9. land — a country
  10. firm — steady
  11. field — farmland
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. degree — an amount
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. object — a thing
  17. land — to come down
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. degree — from a university
  22. land — ground
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. object — to protest

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