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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. degree — temperature
  3. wake — a trail
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chest — a box
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. staff — a stick
  9. cue — a signal
  10. degree — an amount
  11. object — a thing
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. object — to protest
  14. rash — hasty
  15. degree — from a university
  16. stem — to come from
  17. staff — employees
  18. cue — a hint
  19. cue — for pool
  20. rash — a series
  21. staff — employees
  22. chest — of your body
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. wake — before a funeral

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