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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: cue · band · stem · prune · degree · swing · saw · stock

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. band — a ring
  3. band — a music group
  4. stem — to come from
  5. stock — shares
  6. degree — from a university
  7. swing — in golf
  8. cue — a hint
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. swing — to play on
  13. degree — an amount
  14. degree — temperature
  15. saw — the tool
  16. cue — for pool
  17. prune — to trim
  18. saw — the tool
  19. stock — goods
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. prune — to trim
  22. swing — music
  23. cue — a signal
  24. prune — the fruit

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