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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: board · stem · cue · temple · fan · degree · calf · saw

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. degree — from a university
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. board — to get on
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. saw — the tool
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. cue — a hint
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. degree — temperature
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. board — a committee
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. saw — the tool
  20. degree — an amount
  21. cue — for pool
  22. cue — a signal
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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