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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 124 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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. degree — an amount
  6. mate — to breed
  7. current — happening now
  8. degree — from a university
  9. fork — in a road
  10. mate — a partner
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. mate — a friend
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. current — of water
  16. date — the fruit
  17. current — electric
  18. snap — to click
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. degree — temperature
  24. fork — a garden tool

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