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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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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: degree · chip · bear · fork · lean · ground · scale · stem

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. bear — the animal
  4. ground — the earth
  5. degree — an amount
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. lean — to bend
  8. degree — from a university
  9. bear — the animal
  10. chip — to eat
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. scale — size or range
  13. lean — thin
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. degree — temperature
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. scale — in music
  20. chip — for betting
  21. stem — to come from
  22. ground — a position
  23. fork — in a road
  24. ground — crushed

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