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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: pop · rush · degree · racket · stem · mark · jam · face

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. degree — an amount
  3. pop — music
  4. face — part of the head
  5. mark — a grade
  6. degree — from a university
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. pop — soda
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. pop — to visit
  16. stem — to come from
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. rush — hurry
  19. face — to confront
  20. mark — a trace
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. face — to point toward
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. degree — temperature

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