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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. degree — temperature
  3. degree — an amount
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. degree — from a university
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. march — music
  11. stem — to come from
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. march — the month
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. march — the month
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. lie — to recline
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. bark — to shout
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. stem — of a plant

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