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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.

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: lie · degree · racket · saw · stem · drill · wound · can

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  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. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. saw — the tool
  5. can — a tin
  6. lie — to recline
  7. wound — an injury
  8. degree — an amount
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. drill — a practice
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. can — to be able to
  14. drill — the tool
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. wound — an injury
  17. can — a tin
  18. stem — to come from
  19. degree — from a university
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. drill — army training
  23. saw — the tool
  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