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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: cabinet · stem · scale · game · board · rush · degree · lie

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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. rush — to hurry
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. degree — temperature
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. game — a match
  12. lie — to recline
  13. board — a committee
  14. game — wild animals
  15. board — to get on
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. scale — in music
  21. scale — size or range
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. degree — an amount
  24. rush — hurry

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