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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 116 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: press · stem · fall · degree · patient · pit · bass · plane

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. fall — the season
  3. degree — from a university
  4. bass — the fish
  5. pit — in a race
  6. fall — to drop
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. fall — to drop
  9. degree — temperature
  10. press — newspapers
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. press — to push
  13. pit — a hole
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. stem — to come from
  16. press — a publisher
  17. bass — low music
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. degree — an amount
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. stem — a stem cell

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