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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: degree · stem · roll · march · cabinet · dip · fall · rash

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. march — music
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. dip — to sink
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. rash — hasty
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. stem — to come from
  12. degree — from a university
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. rash — a series
  15. roll — a list
  16. march — the month
  17. degree — an amount
  18. march — the month
  19. degree — temperature
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. fall — the season
  23. roll — a cake
  24. fall — to drop

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