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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: degree · content · rest · charge · net · stem

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. charge — a price
  3. charge — electricity
  4. degree — temperature
  5. rest — what's left
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. stem — to come from
  8. degree — from a university
  9. net — after costs
  10. rest — what's left
  11. content — happy
  12. charge — in control
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. content — the amount
  15. degree — an amount
  16. rest — a break
  17. net — for catching
  18. net — in sport

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