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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. cue — a signal
  3. rule — government
  4. degree — an amount
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. stem — to come from
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. capital — a city
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. capital — money
  14. branch — a division
  15. rule — a law
  16. degree — from a university
  17. mark — a trace
  18. cue — for pool
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. degree — temperature
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. cue — a hint
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. stem — of a plant

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