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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. rule — government
  5. race — the arms race
  6. lie — to recline
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. degree — from a university
  9. race — humankind
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. degree — an amount
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. race — a contest
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. rule — a law
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. stand — to bear
  20. date — the fruit
  21. stem — to come from
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. trunk — of a car

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