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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 120 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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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: bear · fork · degree · bank · mate · stem · pop · cell

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. mate — to breed
  4. bank — for money
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. degree — an amount
  8. fork — in a road
  9. degree — from a university
  10. pop — soda
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. stem — to come from
  13. bear — the animal
  14. degree — temperature
  15. bank — of a river
  16. mate — a friend
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. mate — a partner
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. pop — to visit
  21. pop — music
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bank — for money
  24. cell — a phone

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