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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 · racket · stem · face · prune · leaves · present · drill

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. stem — to come from
  3. drill — a practice
  4. present — a gift
  5. face — to point toward
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. degree — an amount
  8. degree — from a university
  9. prune — to trim
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. prune — to trim
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. face — part of the head
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. present — the time now
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. face — to confront
  18. drill — the tool
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. present — there
  24. drill — army training

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