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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  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. degree — from a university
  2. stem — to come from
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. degree — an amount
  7. degree — temperature
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. deal — to handle
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. lean — thin
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. lean — to bend
  18. capital — a city
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. capital — money
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. branch — a division
  23. nail — for a hammer
  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