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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: stem · dip · mate · file · nail · stock · fan · degree

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. file — a line of people
  4. stem — to come from
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. stock — goods
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. degree — from a university
  15. file — a document
  16. mate — a friend
  17. mate — to breed
  18. file — a tool
  19. mate — a partner
  20. degree — temperature
  21. degree — an amount
  22. dip — to sink
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. stock — shares

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