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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. row — a line
  3. degree — from a university
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. saw — the tool
  9. degree — an amount
  10. cold — not warm
  11. bound — obliged
  12. bound — certain
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. row — to paddle
  19. bound — tied together
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. cold — an illness
  24. degree — temperature

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