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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 120 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: wave · stand · straw · stem · hide · degree

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. stand — to bear
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. stem — to come from
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. degree — from a university
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. degree — an amount
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. degree — temperature
  18. stand — for spectators

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