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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. board — to get on
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. degree — from a university
  5. key — in music
  6. kid — to tease
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. key — the most important part
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. face — to point toward
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. stem — to come from
  14. face — part of the head
  15. prune — to trim
  16. board — a committee
  17. face — to confront
  18. prune — to trim
  19. degree — temperature
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. key — for a lock
  23. degree — an amount
  24. kid — child

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