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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. lean — to bend
  5. lean — thin
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. degree — an amount
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. wound — an injury
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. vault — a safe
  13. cap — a lid
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. stand — to bear
  17. cap — a hat
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. fork — in a road
  22. cap — of ice
  23. degree — from a university
  24. stem — to come from

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