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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 116 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 · ball · cell · nail · stand · stem · file · degree

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. ball — a dance
  5. file — a line of people
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. ball — a great time
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. degree — an amount
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. cell — a phone
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. degree — from a university
  17. file — a tool
  18. cell — in biology
  19. stem — to come from
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. file — a document
  23. stand — to bear
  24. stem — of a plant

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