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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: stem · degree · suit · mine · tear · rest · lean · stand

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. degree — an amount
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. tear — from crying
  5. mine — for digging
  6. tear — from crying
  7. rest — a break
  8. degree — temperature
  9. degree — from a university
  10. suit — in cards
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. suit — to fit
  13. suit — clothes
  14. rest — what's left
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. stand — to bear
  18. tear — to rip
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. rest — what's left
  21. stem — to come from
  22. lean — thin
  23. lean — to bend
  24. stand — on your feet

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