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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 116 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: spell · pitcher · stem · stock · coach · cell · drill · degree

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. degree — an amount
  3. stock — goods
  4. cell — in biology
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. drill — the tool
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. cell — a phone
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. stem — to come from
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. degree — from a university
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. spell — letters
  18. drill — a practice
  19. spell — a short time
  20. stock — shares
  21. spell — magic
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. drill — army training

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