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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  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. rock — a stone
  2. degree — temperature
  3. degree — from a university
  4. last — final
  5. rock — music
  6. key — for a lock
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. shower — to wash
  9. degree — an amount
  10. last — to go on
  11. shower — rain
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. key — in music
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. bulb — for light
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. stem — to come from
  19. last — finally
  20. key — the most important part
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bulb — of a plant
  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