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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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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: rule · degree · field · pit · stem · arm

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. pit — in a race
  3. field — a subject
  4. pit — a hole
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. degree — an amount
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. degree — from a university
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. field — for sport
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. degree — temperature
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. rule — a law
  16. rule — government
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. field — farmland

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