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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: roll · bat · rule · leaves · stem · jam · saw · degree

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. rule — a law
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. bat — the animal
  10. degree — temperature
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. saw — the tool
  13. roll — a list
  14. degree — from a university
  15. roll — a cake
  16. stem — to come from
  17. degree — an amount
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. rule — government
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. jam — in traffic

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