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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.

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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: stem · can · fine · lean · pitcher · last · degree · mate

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. lean — to bend
  3. can — a tin
  4. mate — a partner
  5. stem — to come from
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. fine — all right
  8. can — to be able to
  9. degree — from a university
  10. lean — thin
  11. mate — a friend
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. last — finally
  14. last — final
  15. can — a tin
  16. fine — high quality
  17. degree — temperature
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. degree — an amount
  22. mate — to breed
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. last — to go on

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