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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.

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: rush · board · degree · straw · tube · pitch · stem · bear

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. board — a committee
  4. pitch — completely
  5. degree — an amount
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. board — to get on
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. tube — the underground
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. degree — from a university
  15. tube — a container
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. rush — hurry
  19. bear — the animal
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. degree — temperature
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. bear — the animal

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