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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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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: stem · staff · drill · degree · pitcher · net · deal · trunk

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. drill — army training
  4. degree — an amount
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. staff — a stick
  8. deal — to handle
  9. degree — from a university
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. net — after costs
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. net — in sport
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. drill — the tool
  18. staff — employees
  19. staff — employees
  20. net — for catching
  21. stem — to come from
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. degree — temperature
  24. drill — a practice

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