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

Word bank: saw · degree · toast · stem · snap · hand

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. degree — from a university
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. hand — in cards
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. saw — the tool
  7. toast — bread
  8. snap — to click
  9. degree — temperature
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. hand — help
  12. degree — an amount
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. stem — to come from
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. toast — a drink to someone

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