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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 116 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: fan · court · stem · dip · hide · squash · degree · bound

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. bound — obliged
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. court — of a king
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. squash — to crush
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. squash — the sport
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. bound — certain
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. stem — to come from
  16. bound — tied together
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. degree — an amount
  19. court — for sport
  20. court — of law
  21. dip — to sink
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. degree — temperature
  24. hide — to keep secret

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