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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: hide · mark · leaves · nail · stem · degree · ground · band

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. degree — temperature
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. band — a music group
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. band — a ring
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. ground — crushed
  14. stem — to come from
  15. ground — the earth
  16. mark — a grade
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. mark — a trace
  19. degree — an amount
  20. ground — a position
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. degree — from a university
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. nail — on a finger

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