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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. degree — an amount
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. kid — to tease
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. degree — temperature
  11. sharp — clever
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. kid — child
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. prune — to trim
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. stem — to come from
  21. branch — a division
  22. vault — a safe
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. prune — to trim

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