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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 120 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
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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: row · fork · pop · cue · stem · mine · degree · mark

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. pop — to visit
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. mark — a grade
  5. degree — an amount
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. cue — a hint
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. cue — a signal
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. row — a line
  12. pop — soda
  13. degree — temperature
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. degree — from a university
  17. mine — for digging
  18. row — to paddle
  19. cue — for pool
  20. pop — music
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. stem — to come from
  24. fork — in a road

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