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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bass · tear · stem · cabinet · degree · fork

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. degree — an amount
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. bass — the fish
  6. tear — to rip
  7. degree — temperature
  8. fork — in a road
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. tear — from crying
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. tear — from crying
  13. bass — low music
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. degree — from a university
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. 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