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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. cell — in biology
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. degree — an amount
  6. degree — temperature
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. last — finally
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. last — to go on
  11. last — final
  12. pit — in a race
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. degree — from a university
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. stem — to come from
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cell — a phone
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. pit — a hole

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