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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. degree — from a university
  3. can — a tin
  4. can — to be able to
  5. stem — to come from
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. row — to paddle
  10. rock — music
  11. degree — an amount
  12. degree — temperature
  13. row — a line
  14. snap — to click
  15. rock — a stone
  16. can — a tin
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. saw — the tool
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. stem — a stem cell

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