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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 120 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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  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. field — farmland
  3. current — of water
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. net — in sport
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. stem — to come from
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. degree — an amount
  11. field — for sport
  12. net — for catching
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. field — a subject
  15. current — electric
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. net — after costs
  18. current — happening now
  19. branch — a division
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. degree — temperature
  23. calf — a young animal
  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