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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: degree · track · stem · leaves · hand · arm · season · rock

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. rock — music
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. degree — an amount
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. season — of the year
  10. stem — to come from
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. hand — help
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. track — a path
  16. degree — temperature
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. hand — in cards
  19. track — to keep track
  20. rock — a stone
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. track — a song
  23. season — in sport
  24. degree — from a university

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