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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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Word bank
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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: pitcher · degree · wound · stem · bowl · cue

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. cue — a hint
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. degree — an amount
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. wound — an injury
  12. cue — for pool
  13. cue — a signal
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. stem — to come from
  18. degree — from a university

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