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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: mate · can · rush · content · degree · stem · court · wind

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  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. content — the amount
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. court — for sport
  4. stem — to come from
  5. wind — moving air
  6. court — of a king
  7. content — happy
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. rush — hurry
  11. mate — a friend
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. wind — moving air
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. court — of law
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. degree — temperature
  18. can — a tin
  19. mate — to breed
  20. can — a tin
  21. mate — a partner
  22. degree — an amount
  23. can — to be able to
  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