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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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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: dip · bass · stem · stick · degree · file · wake · cell

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. degree — temperature
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. cell — a phone
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. dip — to sink
  7. file — a document
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. file — a line of people
  10. file — a tool
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. bass — low music
  14. cell — in biology
  15. bass — the fish
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. degree — an amount
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. stem — to come from
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. degree — from a university
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. wake — a trail

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