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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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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: stem · degree · cabinet · fine · land · racket

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. land — a country
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. fine — high quality
  6. land — to come down
  7. degree — an amount
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. degree — from a university
  10. fine — all right
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. stem — to come from
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. land — ground
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. degree — temperature
  18. racket — a loud noise

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