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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. rest — what's left
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. row — to paddle
  7. spell — letters
  8. rest — what's left
  9. stem — to come from
  10. spell — magic
  11. pit — a hole
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. spell — a short time
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. degree — temperature
  17. degree — an amount
  18. branch — a division
  19. pit — in a race
  20. rest — a break
  21. row — a line
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. stem — a stem cell

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