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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 · can · suit · wind · rest · cap · rush · stem

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. can — to be able to
  3. cap — of ice
  4. rest — a break
  5. wind — moving air
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. can — a tin
  8. suit — clothes
  9. cap — a hat
  10. degree — an amount
  11. cap — a lid
  12. suit — in cards
  13. can — a tin
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. degree — from a university
  16. rest — what's left
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. degree — temperature
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. wind — moving air
  22. suit — to fit
  23. stem — to come from
  24. rest — what's left

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