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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. wax — to grow
  5. degree — temperature
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. press — newspapers
  8. degree — an amount
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. press — to push
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. press — a publisher
  18. degree — from a university
  19. pit — a hole
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. pit — in a race

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