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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · nail · pitch · cabinet · stem · ground · perch · tube

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. perch — the fish
  3. stem — to come from
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. degree — temperature
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. ground — a position
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. pitch — completely
  11. ground — crushed
  12. ground — the earth
  13. degree — an amount
  14. degree — from a university
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. tube — the underground
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. tube — a container

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