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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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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: fall · degree · staff · rule · stem · dip · pass · date

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. staff — employees
  3. stem — to come from
  4. pass — a permit
  5. date — the fruit
  6. rule — a law
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. degree — temperature
  9. degree — an amount
  10. dip — to sink
  11. rule — government
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. fall — the season
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. staff — a stick
  16. fall — to drop
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. fall — to drop
  21. degree — from a university
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. pass — to spend time

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