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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: degree · stem · racket · perch · pitch · wax · straw · file

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. degree — temperature
  3. file — a document
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. degree — from a university
  6. pitch — completely
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. file — a tool
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. stem — to come from
  17. perch — the fish
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. wax — to grow
  20. degree — an amount
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. file — a line of people

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