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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: shower · mark · rule · temple · degree · fan · row · stem

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. degree — an amount
  3. row — to paddle
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. rule — government
  9. shower — rain
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. degree — temperature
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. mark — a trace
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. shower — to wash
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. stem — to come from
  19. degree — from a university
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. row — a line
  24. rule — a law

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