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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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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 · bear · mate · spring · vault · net · mark · stem

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. mate — a partner
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. mate — a friend
  5. degree — temperature
  6. degree — from a university
  7. bear — the animal
  8. mate — to breed
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. net — after costs
  11. spring — the season
  12. net — for catching
  13. mark — a grade
  14. spring — a coil
  15. vault — a safe
  16. mark — a trace
  17. degree — an amount
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. bear — the animal
  22. net — in sport
  23. spring — of water
  24. stem — to come from

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