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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: stem · craft · pitch · degree · temple · land · firm · staff

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. degree — from a university
  4. land — a country
  5. firm — a company
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. firm — steady
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. degree — temperature
  11. pitch — completely
  12. firm — decided
  13. degree — an amount
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. craft — a skill
  16. craft — boats
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. stem — to come from
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. land — ground
  21. staff — employees
  22. staff — employees
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. land — to come down

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