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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: calf · club · degree · stem · foot · rest · fine · cell

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. fine — all right
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. degree — from a university
  6. club — for dancing
  7. cell — in biology
  8. degree — an amount
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rest — a break
  12. degree — temperature
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. cell — a phone
  16. rest — what's left
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. club — a group
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. stem — to come from
  21. foot — a measure
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. club — for golf

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