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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  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. present — there
  3. cell — in biology
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. present — the time now
  6. suit — to fit
  7. prune — to trim
  8. saw — the tool
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. degree — from a university
  11. present — a gift
  12. saw — the tool
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. suit — in cards
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. cell — a phone
  20. degree — an amount
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. suit — clothes
  23. prune — to trim
  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